Early look The full preview opens on Tuesday 15 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 Vegas Golden Knights: game preview

Puck drop18 Dec · 10:00 PM ET
VenueT-Mobile Arena
All-time meetings16 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Four points apart last season

NY Islanders finished last season 19th in the league on 91 points. Vegas finished 13th on 95.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 17

Across 16 completed games, NY Islanders lead the head-to-head 10-5-1.

All-time record10-5-1NY Islanders's record in the series
Meetings played16This is number 17
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1NY Islanders
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
9 Dec 2025VGK 4 – NYI 5 SO——NYI
13 Nov 2025NYI 4 – VGK 3 OT——NYI
4 Feb 2025VGK 1 – NYI 2——NYI
9 Jan 2025NYI 4 – VGK 0——NYI
23 Jan 2024VGK 3 – NYI 2——VGK
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY IslandersVegas
13 Nov 20259-6-2 · 20 pts15th7-4-5 · 19 pts19th
9 Dec 202517-11-3 · 37 pts8th14-6-9 · 37 pts6th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 13 Nov 2025, NY Islanders were 15th in the league and Vegas 19th. By 9 Dec 2025 it was 8th and 6th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Vegas out-attempted NY Islanders 125 to 108

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

New York Islanders

108 att · 51 on goal · 8 G · 15.7%
Crease14 att · 1 G
Slot34 att · 0 G
Wing44 att · 6 G
Point15 att · 1 G
Neutral zone1 att · 0 G

Vegas Golden Knights

125 att · 66 on goal · 7 G · 10.6%
Crease18 att · 1 G
Slot53 att · 6 G
Wing32 att · 0 G
Point19 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Vegas 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 IslandersVegas
2.90xG for per game3.79
3.70xG against per game2.09
44.0%xG share64.4%
+0.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals+1.8
+4.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.6

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

Vegas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2731.3%
Power play · 2025-2624.6% · 6th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.4% · 7th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 122/230
Drawn · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (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
9Jack Eichel428102.50
95Victor Olofsson44151.25
48Tomas Hertl43251.25
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
8Logan Stanley30220.67
3Adam Pelech30110.33
27Shea Theodore41230.75
15Noah Hanifin41010.25
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 16 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 16 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NY Islanders crease

NYI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Dec

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

No appearances against Vegas in the last meetings.

Vegas crease

VGK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Dec

Carter Hart.8903 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −1.1
Adin Hill.9001 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

9 Dec 20259 · VGK 4–5 NYI
13 Nov 20257 · NYI 4–3 VGK
4 Feb 20253 · VGK 1–2 NYI
9 Jan 20254 · NYI 4–0 VGK
23 Jan 20245 · VGK 3–2 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
Vegas4.252.503.233.05

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 meetings5.6Goals 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

Vegas · injuries

Lukas CormierUndisclosedIRReturn22 Oct
Raphael LavoieUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct
Victor OlofssonUndisclosedDay-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.

30 Sep · VGK

Signed C William Karlsson to a two-year contract.

29 Sep · VGK

Placed C Jakub Cormier, RW Matyas Hemmerling and C Jakub Uchacz on the injured non-roster list.

23 Sep · VGK

Placed D Jaycob Megna, D Adam Ginning, D Joe Fleming, C Jakub Demek and D Jeremy Davies 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
#29Juho PiiparinenRound 1 · TapparaD
#63ForfeitedRound 2 ·
#92Benjamin WilmottRound 3 · BarrieC
#95Sean BurickRound 3 · PentictonD
Full draft

Updated after every final