Early look · NHL 2026-27

New York Islanders at Detroit Red Wings: game preview

NY IslandersIslanders2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 43-34-5 · 91 pts · 19that

DetroitRed Wings2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 41-31-10 · 92 pts · 16th

Puck drop21 Nov · 7:00 PM ET

VenueLittle Caesars Arena

All-time meetings135 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

One points apart last season

NY Islanders finished last season 19th in the league on 91 points. Detroit finished 16th on 92.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 136

Across 135 completed games, Detroit lead the head-to-head 68-59-8.

All-time record68-59-8Detroit's record in the series

Meetings played135This is number 136

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2Detroit

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

16 Dec 2025NYI 2 – DET 3——DET

20 Nov 2025NYI 5 – DET 0——NYI

23 Oct 2025DET 2 – NYI 7——NYI

25 Nov 2024DET 4 – NYI 2——DET

21 Nov 2024NYI 1 – DET 2——DET

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY IslandersDetroit

23 Oct 20254-3-0 · 8 pts15th5-3-0 · 10 pts10th

20 Nov 202512-7-2 · 26 pts7th12-8-1 · 25 pts9th

16 Dec 202519-12-3 · 41 pts8th19-12-3 · 41 pts7th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 23 Oct 2025, NY Islanders were 15th in the league and Detroit 10th. By 16 Dec 2025 it was 8th and 7th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Detroit out-attempted NY Islanders 198 to 158

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

New York Islanders

158 att · 74 on goal · 14 G · 18.9%

Crease12 att · 1 G

Slot60 att · 9 G

Wing63 att · 4 G

Point21 att · 0 G

Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Detroit Red Wings

198 att · 84 on goal · 5 G · 6.0%

Crease18 att · 1 G

Slot75 att · 2 G

Wing64 att · 2 G

Point37 att · 0 G

Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

NY Islanders and Detroit are level on 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 IslandersDetroit

2.90xG for per game3.23

3.70xG against per game2.85

44.0%xG share53.1%

+0.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.7

+4.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.6

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

Detroit

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2725.0%

Power play · 2025-2622.6% · 12th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2677.1% · 23rd

Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 97/181

Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/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.

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 →

NY Islanders

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

Detroit

Expected starter after their game on 18 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NY Islanders crease

NYI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Nov

Ilya Sorokin.9682 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +4.1

Semyon Varlamov.8641 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Detroit in the last meetings.

Detroit crease

DET · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 18 Nov

John Gibson.9033 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against NY Islanders in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.8 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

16 Dec 20255 · NYI 2–3 DET

20 Nov 20255 · NYI 5–0 DET

23 Oct 20259 · DET 2–7 NYI

25 Nov 20246 · DET 4–2 NYI

21 Nov 20243 · NYI 1–2 DET

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

Detroit2.332.672.943.15

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 suggest5.8Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.6Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

NY Islanders · injuries

Alexander RomanovUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Mathew BarzalKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Detroit · injuries

Carter BearUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct

Chase StillmanUndisclosedIRReturn9 Oct

J.T. CompherUndisclosedOutReturn9 Oct

Jacob Bernard-DockerUpper BodyIRReturn9 Oct

Marco KasperUpper BodyIRReturn20 Oct

Mason AppletonUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct

Simon EdvinssonContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

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.

2 Oct · DET

Placed F Dylan Larkin on the non-roster injured reserve.

25 Sep · DET

Assigned Fs Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog, Ds Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson and Gs Trey Augustine and Michal Postava to Grand Rapids (AHL).

20 Aug 2026 · DET

Acquired F Sutter Muzzatti from Nashville Predators for future considerations.

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

Detroit · 2026 draft

See all: Detroit · 2026 draft →

#23Jeffrey (JP) HurlbertRound 1 · KamloopsLW

#47Victor PlanteRound 2 · Usa U-18LW

#79Michal OrsulakRound 3 · Prince AlbertG

#108Adam LevacRound 4 · PeterboroughC

Full draft

Saturday 21 November · the full slate

See all: Saturday 21 November · the full slate →

DETThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

New York Islanders at Detroit Red Wings: game preview

One points apart last season

Meeting number 136

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Detroit out-attempted NY Islanders 198 to 158

New York Islanders

Detroit Red Wings

NY Islanders and Detroit are level on chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

NY Islanders

Detroit

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

NY Islanders crease

Detroit crease

Scoring rates point to about 5.8 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

9 on the injury lists

NY Islanders · injuries

Detroit · injuries

Latest moves

NY Islanders · 2026 draft

Detroit · 2026 draft

Saturday 21 November · the full slate