Early look The full preview opens on Monday 26 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

New York Islanders at Minnesota Wild: game preview

Puck drop29 Oct · 8:00 PM ET
VenueGrand Casino Arena
All-time meetings38 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Thirteen points apart last season

NY Islanders finished last season 19th in the league on 91 points. Minnesota finished 7th on 104.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 39

Across 38 completed games, Minnesota lead the head-to-head 22-13-3.

All-time record22-13-3Minnesota's record in the series
Meetings played38This is number 39
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Minnesota
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
10 Jan 2026NYI 4 – MIN 3 OT——NYI
7 Nov 2025MIN 5 – NYI 2——MIN
4 Apr 2025MIN 1 – NYI 3——NYI
8 Feb 2025NYI 3 – MIN 6——MIN
15 Jan 2024NYI 0 – MIN 5——MIN
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY IslandersMinnesota
7 Nov 20256-6-2 · 14 pts27th6-7-3 · 15 pts25th
10 Jan 202625-15-5 · 55 pts8th26-11-9 · 61 pts3rd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 7 Nov 2025, NY Islanders were 27th in the league and Minnesota 25th. By 10 Jan 2026 it was 8th and 3rd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Minnesota out-attempted NY Islanders 121 to 106

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

New York Islanders

106 att · 55 on goal · 6 G · 10.9%
Crease7 att · 2 G
Slot39 att · 3 G
Wing43 att · 1 G
Point17 att · 0 G
Neutral zone0 att · 0 G

Minnesota Wild

121 att · 62 on goal · 8 G · 12.9%
Crease13 att · 2 G
Slot49 att · 4 G
Wing38 att · 2 G
Point18 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Minnesota 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.

NY IslandersMinnesota
2.90xG for per game3.01
3.70xG against per game2.83
44.0%xG share51.5%
+0.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.0
+4.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+3.5

This season: 3 games for NY Islanders, 3 for Minnesota. 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

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

Minnesota

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2736.4%
Power play · 2025-2625.2% · 3rd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.8% · 16th
Faceoffs · 2026-2748.0% · 84/175
Drawn · 2026-2711 (3.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/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
10Brayden Schenn31341.33
14Bo Horvat32131.00
53Casey Cizikas31120.67
97Kirill Kaprizov33031.00
20Blake Coleman31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
8Logan Stanley30220.67
3Adam Pelech30110.33
43Quinn Hughes31341.33
46Jared Spurgeon31231.00
3Olli Maatta30110.33
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 27 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 27 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NY Islanders crease

NYI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 26 Oct

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

No appearances against Minnesota in the last meetings.

Minnesota crease

MIN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 26 Oct

Jesper Wallstedt.9333 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.5

No appearances against NY Islanders in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 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

10 Jan 20267 · NYI 4–3 MIN
7 Nov 20257 · MIN 5–2 NYI
4 Apr 20254 · MIN 1–3 NYI
8 Feb 20259 · NYI 3–6 MIN
15 Jan 20245 · NYI 0–5 MIN

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
NY Islanders3.002.332.842.94
Minnesota3.001.673.322.93

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 suggest5.9Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

NY Islanders · injuries

Alexander RomanovUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
Mathew BarzalKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Minnesota · injuries

Brock FaberSkullIRReturn15 Oct
Filip GustavssonHipIRReturn1 Nov
Nick FolignoUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
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.

24 Sep · MIN

Waived for the purpose of assignment to Iowa (AHL) Ds Matt Kiersted, Carson Lambos, and Roman Schmidt and Fs Caedan Bankier, Dylan Gambrell, Justin Kirkland, Tyler Pitlick, and Mason Shaw. Assigned Ds Ben Dexheimer and Viking Gustafsson Nyberg and Fs Jagger Joshua, Hunter Haight, Riley Heidt, Rasmus Kumpulainen, and Rieger Lorenz to Iowa.

14 Jul 2026 · MIN

Signed G Filip Ruzicka to a three-year, entry-level contract.

13 Jul 2026 · MIN

Signed D Filip Ruzicka to a three-year contract.

Injury report

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
#83Adam AnderssonRound 3 · Leksand Jr.C
#112Kayden LemireRound 4 · Prince GeorgeRW
#137Filip RuzickaRound 5 · BrandonG
Full draft

Updated after every final