Early look The full preview opens on Saturday 17 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Anaheim Ducks at New York Islanders: game preview

Puck drop20 Oct · 7:00 PM ET
VenueUBS Arena
All-time meetings49 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

One points apart last season

Anaheim finished last season 18th in the league on 92 points. NY Islanders finished 19th on 91.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 50

Across 49 completed games, NY Islanders lead the head-to-head 27-17-5.

All-time record27-17-5NY Islanders's record in the series
Meetings played49This is number 50
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Anaheim
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
4 Mar 2026NYI 1 – ANA 5——ANA
11 Dec 2025ANA 2 – NYI 5——NYI
9 Mar 2025NYI 1 – ANA 4——ANA
29 Oct 2024ANA 3 – NYI 1——ANA
10 Mar 2024NYI 6 – ANA 1——NYI
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateAnaheimNY Islanders
11 Dec 202519-11-1 · 39 pts6th18-11-3 · 39 pts8th
4 Mar 202628-22-3 · 59 pts15th28-19-5 · 61 pts13th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 11 Dec 2025, Anaheim were 6th in the league and NY Islanders 8th. By 4 Mar 2026 it was 15th and 13th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

NY Islanders out-attempted Anaheim 144 to 140

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Anaheim Ducks

140 att · 59 on goal · 7 G · 11.9%
Crease12 att · 1 G
Slot34 att · 2 G
Wing60 att · 3 G
Point27 att · 0 G
Neutral zone7 att · 1 G

New York Islanders

144 att · 80 on goal · 6 G · 7.5%
Crease12 att · 2 G
Slot48 att · 3 G
Wing54 att · 1 G
Point24 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Anaheim have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

AnaheimNY Islanders
2.19xG for per game2.90
3.49xG against per game3.70
38.6%xG share44.0%
+2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+0.3
+2.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+4.1

This season: 2 games for Anaheim, 3 for NY Islanders. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Anaheim

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.6% · 23rd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2785.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.4% · 27th
Faceoffs · 2026-2743.9% · 50/114
Drawn · 2026-276 (3.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-277 (3.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

NY Islanders

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2718.2%
Power play · 2025-2616.5% · 30th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.8% · 10th
Faceoffs · 2026-2749.1% · 81/165
Drawn · 2026-2711 (3.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
91Leo Carlsson21452.50
61Cutter Gauthier22242.00
64Mikael Granlund21121.00
10Brayden Schenn31341.33
14Bo Horvat32131.00
53Casey Cizikas31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
67Tristan Luneau20110.50
47Noah Warren20110.50
8Logan Stanley30220.67
3Adam Pelech30110.33
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 19 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 17 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Anaheim crease

ANA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Oct

Lukas Dostal.9182 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +2.0

No appearances against NY Islanders in the last meetings.

NY Islanders crease

NYI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Oct

Ilya Sorokin.9682 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +4.1
Semyon Varlamov.8641 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Anaheim in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

4 Mar 20266 · NYI 1–5 ANA
11 Dec 20257 · ANA 2–5 NYI
9 Mar 20255 · NYI 1–4 ANA
29 Oct 20244 · ANA 3–1 NYI
10 Mar 20247 · NYI 6–1 ANA

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Anaheim3.502.503.333.51
NY Islanders3.002.332.842.94

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.2Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

Anaheim · injuries

Drew HellesonLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ian MooreLower BodyIRReturn16 Oct
Troy TerryHipIRReturn21 Nov

NY Islanders · injuries

Alexander RomanovUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
Mathew BarzalKneeIRReturn10 Oct
1 Oct · ANA

Signed D Tristan Luneau to a six-year contract extension.

30 Sep · ANA

Reassigned C Roger McQueen and C Cruz Lucius to San Diego (AHL). Recalled D Noah Warren, D Ian Mitchell and D Tristan Luneau from San Diego. Placed D Drew Helleson on injured reserve. Moved RW Troy Terry from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · ANA

Placed G Laurent Brossoit and D Travis Mitchell on waivers.

27 Sep · NYI

Agreed to terms with LD Logan Stanley on a 1-Year contract worth $1.5M. Placed G Vitek Vanecek on waivers with the intention of sending to Hamilton (AHL)

26 Sep · NYI

Waived Fs Tanner Fritz, Matt Luff and Nathan Chaffee. Waived Fs Dylan Foudy and Hudson Kuefler for the purpose of sending to Hamilton (AHL).

24 Jul 2026 · NYI

Signed F Alex Jefferies to a one-year contract.

Injury report
#15Nikita KlepovRound 1 · SaginawRW
#28Marcus NordmarkRound 1 · Djurgarden Jr.LW
#45Jayden KurtzRound 2 · RogersD
#50Mathis PrestonRound 2 · VancouverRW
Full draft

NY Islanders · 2026 draft

See all: NY Islanders · 2026 draft →
#13Malte GustafssonRound 1 · Hv71D
#109Lincoln KuehneRound 4 · Arizona StateD
#141Vladimir DraveckyRound 5 · BrantfordD
#173Artyom MatyukRound 6 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.C
Full draft

Updated after every final