#new-york-islanders

#new-york-islanders

If the New York Islanders' season ends up being defined by one thing, it might not be a power play, a defensive lapse, or even a trade deadline move. It could come down to the shootout. That is not an exaggeration; it is a trend that is shaping the Isles' season in real time. The numbers tell the story. The Isles have lost five straight shootouts, nine of their last eleven, and 22 of their last 28 overall.

It just wasn't the New York Islanders' night. Playing their final home game before a seven game road trip, the Isles fell 5-2 to the Minnesota Wild on Friday at UBS Arena, closing their homestand at 1-1-1. Emil Heineman and JG Pageau found the back of the net, but sloppy play, turnovers, and missed chances plagued the Isles from start to finish. Minnesota, on the second night of a back to back, looked fresher, faster, and sharper in every zone.

"I think we're doing a lot of good things," Mayfield said after Thursday's practice. "It starts with our goaltending and just making those little plays, coming out of the zone as a group of five. On the forecheck, we're getting in there and trying to create chances."

Bad breakfast puns aside, the Islanders' first-year general manager has shown in his relatively short yet eventful time on the job that he does not shy away from the hard choices, right or wrong (and it's been a lot more right). It's a trait 100% necessary for a good GM. From coaching decisions to trades to loosening the belt on predecessor Lou Lamoriello's buttoned-down culture, Darche quickly has reshaped the organization into one reflecting his vision.

The two games affected include the Maple Leafs' game vs the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday, December 4, which was supposed to start at 7:30 pm EST and will now be starting at 7:00 pm EST. This is game #431 of the NHL season and it will be the second meeting between the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes of the season, with Toronto hosting Carolina on Sunday, November 9. The Hurricanes are currently 6-2-0 and were the last undefeated team in the league after starting the season 5-0-0.

In New York, Boqvist has been, at best, a seventh defenseman, and he didn't play that role well when he first came to Long Island in 2024-25, when the Isles picked him up off waivers. Boqvist has, however, enjoyed a better start in 2025-26, which could lead a team looking to take a chance on a young defenseman willing to snag a flier and get him off the Islanders' hands.

The New York Islanders could be entering panic territory as the season approaches the end of October. The Isles got out to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. But then, the wheels gradually came off. The Bruins scored three in the second to take a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. By the final buzzer, it was 5-2.

The New York Islanders finally offered a full-length glimpse of what they look like when all layers of their lineup fire at once - and the result was emphatic. New York overwhelmed the Detroit Red Wings 7-2 on Thursday night at UBS Arena, a fourth straight win that looked nothing like the team that opened the season 0-3. The offense came from everywhere.

Heineman scored two more goals on Thursday night versus Detroit and looks more than comfortable playing alongside Bo Horvat on the Islanders' top line. That's five goals in seven games. The 23-year-old was off to a blazing start with Montreal last season before being in a freak car accident in Salt Lake City. The injury sustained prevented the winger from having a breakout season and made him expendable to Montreal when Darche zeroed in on him to acquire Dobson.

The now-scrapped event had been billed as a Super-Bowl-style "Opening Night" for the NHL's returning Olympians - the league's first full participation in the Games since 2014. It was to bring more than 100 players under one roof for a fan-attended media spectacle before they flew to Milan-Cortina. The league had publicly framed the concept as both a marketing play and a moment to celebrate the global stage NHL talent was returning to.

"There's no secret sauce," Roy said. "We have a lot of good players and we're going to rotate some guys. Some guys are going to be in and out of the lineup."

The New York Islanders might be in the NHL's most hopeless situation, and if the constant losing keeps up, there could be whispers of a potential fire sale that could make waves through Long Island, perhaps even before the league takes a break for the Olympics. It makes sense at first, considering the Isles' recent track record as a team that has been in steady decline.