Early look The full preview opens on Tuesday 8 December, 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 Carolina Hurricanes: game preview

Puck drop11 Dec · 7:00 PM ET
VenueLenovo Center
All-time meetings125 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-two points apart last season

NY Islanders finished last season 19th in the league on 91 points. Carolina finished 2nd on 113, and the 2025-26 season series went CAR 3-0-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 126

Across 125 completed games, Carolina lead the head-to-head 79-32-14.

All-time record79-32-14Carolina's record in the series
Meetings played125This is number 126
2025-26 seriesCAR 3-0-0
Last 54-1Carolina
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
14 Apr 2026CAR 2 – NYI 1——CAR
4 Apr 2026NYI 3 – CAR 4——CAR
30 Oct 2025NYI 2 – CAR 6——CAR
30 Mar 2025NYI 4 – CAR 6——CAR
25 Jan 2025CAR 2 – NYI 3 OT——NYI
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY IslandersCarolina
30 Oct 20254-5-1 · 9 pts28th7-3-0 · 14 pts9th
4 Apr 202642-31-5 · 89 pts10th49-21-6 · 104 pts2nd
14 Apr 202643-34-5 · 91 pts18th53-22-7 · 113 pts2nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 30 Oct 2025, NY Islanders were 28th in the league and Carolina 9th. By 14 Apr 2026 it was 18th and 2nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Carolina out-attempted NY Islanders 198 to 145

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

New York Islanders

145 att · 74 on goal · 6 G · 8.1%
Crease8 att · 0 G
Slot60 att · 5 G
Wing47 att · 0 G
Point25 att · 1 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G

Carolina Hurricanes

198 att · 95 on goal · 12 G · 12.6%
Crease17 att · 2 G
Slot65 att · 7 G
Wing78 att · 3 G
Point35 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Carolina 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 IslandersCarolina
2.90xG for per game3.74
3.70xG against per game2.21
44.0%xG share62.9%
+0.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.0
+4.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−3.2

This season: 3 games for NY Islanders, 4 for Carolina. 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

Carolina

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2719.0%
Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2789.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.5% · 11th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.1% · 125/240
Drawn · 2026-2721 (5.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/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
20Sebastian Aho44371.75
53Jackson Blake40330.75
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
8Logan Stanley30220.67
3Adam Pelech30110.33
74Jaccob Slavin40220.50
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 10 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 8 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NY Islanders crease

NYI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 8 Dec

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

No appearances against Carolina in the last meetings.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 8 Dec

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7
Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +0.5

No appearances against NY Islanders in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 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

14 Apr 20263 · CAR 2–1 NYI
4 Apr 20267 · NYI 3–4 CAR
30 Oct 20258 · NYI 2–6 CAR
30 Mar 202510 · NYI 4–6 CAR
25 Jan 20255 · CAR 2–3 NYI

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
Carolina2.753.003.612.93

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 suggest6.0Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

4 on the injury lists

NY Islanders · injuries

Alexander RomanovUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
Mathew BarzalKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct
Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 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.

30 Sep · CAR

Placed G Cayden Primeau on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed LD Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed D Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

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
#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD
#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC
#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW
#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW
Full draft

Updated after every final