Early look · NHL 2026-27

New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning: game preview

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

Tampa BayLightning2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 50-26-6 · 106 pts · 5th

Puck drop30 Jan · 7:00 PM ET

VenueBenchmark International Arena

All-time meetings145 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Fifteen points apart last season

NY Islanders finished last season 19th in the league on 91 points. Tampa Bay finished 5th on 106, and the 2025-26 season series went NYI 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 146

Across 145 completed games, Tampa Bay lead the head-to-head 79-53-13.

All-time record79-53-13Tampa Bay's record in the series

Meetings played145This is number 146

2025-26 seriesNYI 3-0-0

Last 53-2NY Islanders

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

13 Dec 2025TBL 2 – NYI 3 SO34–17TBL 1/5 · NYI 1/4NYI

6 Dec 2025NYI 2 – TBL 019–32NYI 1/2 · TBL 0/2NYI

2 Dec 2025TBL 1 – NYI 231–24TBL 0/3 · NYI 0/3NYI

1 Apr 2025TBL 4 – NYI 124–29TBL 0/4 · NYI 0/4TBL

29 Mar 2025NYI 3 – TBL 538–24NYI 1/2 · TBL 0/0TBL

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY IslandersTampa Bay

2 Dec 202514-10-3 · 31 pts13th16-8-2 · 34 pts5th

6 Dec 202516-10-3 · 35 pts6th16-10-2 · 34 pts9th

13 Dec 202519-11-3 · 41 pts6th18-11-3 · 39 pts8th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 2 Dec 2025, NY Islanders were 13th in the league and Tampa Bay 5th. By 13 Dec 2025 it was 6th and 8th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Tampa Bay out-attempted NY Islanders 325 to 261

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

New York Islanders

261 att · 127 on goal · 10 G · 7.9%

Crease19 att · 1 G

Slot80 att · 4 G

Wing97 att · 3 G

Point51 att · 1 G

Neutral zone14 att · 1 G

Tampa Bay Lightning

325 att · 145 on goal · 12 G · 8.3%

Crease35 att · 0 G

Slot125 att · 7 G

Wing115 att · 4 G

Point46 att · 1 G

Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Tampa Bay 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 IslandersTampa Bay

2.90xG for per game4.04

3.70xG against per game2.64

44.0%xG share60.5%

+0.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals−4.1

+4.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.9

This season: 3 games for NY Islanders, 3 for Tampa Bay. 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 meetings3/15 · 20.0%

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 meetings15 (3.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings3

Tampa Bay

Small sample

Power play · 2026-270.0%

Power play · 2025-2620.7% · 17th

Power play · last 5 meetings1/14 · 7.1%

Penalty kill · 2026-2785.7%

Penalty kill · 2025-2682.6% · 3rd

Faceoffs · 2026-2748.2% · 81/168

Drawn · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)

Drawn · last meetings14 (2.80/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-277 (2.33/gm)

PP goals · last meetings1

Skaters

Nikita Kucherov has 8 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

In the last meetings

See all: In the last meetings →

PlayerGPGAPSOG

86Nikita Kucherov417813

59Jake Guentzel523513

21Brayden Point32358

64Calum Ritchie32135

77Tony DeAngelo51238

11Anthony Duclair51235

77Victor Hedman31232

14Bo Horvat420212

20Nick Paul511213

43Darren Raddysh51129

Head-to-head finder

Nikita Kucherov vs NY Islanders · game by game

See all: Nikita Kucherov vs NY Islanders · game by game →

DateVenueGAPSOGTOI

13 Dec 2025away022425:37

2 Dec 2025away000126:35

1 Apr 2025away022218:34

29 Mar 2025home134619:43

Last 5 meetings8 P1 G, 7 A · 13 SOG

Next best5 PJake Guentzel, TBL

2026-27 season4 P3 GP · 1 G

Blank vs NYI1 of 4

Full game log

Goaltending

Andrei Vasilevskiy has been the difference

Andrei Vasilevskiy faced 53 shots across 2 appearances against NY Islanders and conceded 3, a .943 save percentage against a season figure of .898. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

NY Islanders

Expected starter after their game on 28 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Tampa Bay

Expected starter after their game on 26 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Ilya Sorokin

See all: Ilya Sorokin →

NYI · 1-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Jan

SV% · 2026-27.9682 GP · 1.02 GAA · 2025-26 .906

vs Tampa Bay.9305 app · 143 SA · 10 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+4.12 starts · most on the roster

vs TBLVenueSAGASV%

13 Dec 2025home342.941

6 Dec 2025away3201.000

2 Dec 2025home311.968

1 Apr 2025home233.870

29 Mar 2025away234.826

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Semyon Varlamov .864 (1 GP)

Full game log

Andrei Vasilevskiy

See all: Andrei Vasilevskiy →

TBL · 2-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Jan

SV% · 2026-27.8983 GP · 2.05 GAA · 2025-26 .912

vs NY Islanders.9432 app · 53 SA · 3 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+1.03 starts · most on the roster

vs NYIVenueSAGASV%

2 Dec 2025away242.917

1 Apr 2025away291.966

Full game log

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

13 Dec 20255 · TBL 2–3 NYI

6 Dec 20252 · NYI 2–0 TBL

2 Dec 20253 · TBL 1–2 NYI

1 Apr 20255 · TBL 4–1 NYI

29 Mar 20258 · NYI 3–5 TBL

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

Tampa Bay2.672.333.542.82

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 meetings4.6Goals 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

Tampa Bay · injuries

Dominic JamesHandIRReturn8 Oct

Emil LillebergUndisclosedOutReturn13 Oct

Yanni GourdeHipIRReturn2 Dec

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.

6 Oct · TBL

Placed C Jansen Harkins on waivers.

27 Sep · TBL

Placed D Michael Callahan on waivers.

27 Sep · TBL

Placed D Michael Callahan, G Mads Sogaard Nielsenon, LD Maxim Groshev, LW Jakob Pelletier and C Nicholas Abruzzese 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

Tampa Bay · 2026 draft

See all: Tampa Bay · 2026 draft →

#52Oleg KulebiakinRound 2 · HalifaxRW

#90Tomas KralovicRound 3 · BratislavaD

#134Morgan AnderbergRound 5 · VaxjoC

#154Cooper SollerRound 5 · Sioux FallsC

Full draft

Saturday 30 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 30 January · the full slate →

TBLThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

New York Islanders at Tampa Bay Lightning: game preview

Fifteen points apart last season

Meeting number 146

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Tampa Bay out-attempted NY Islanders 325 to 261

New York Islanders

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

NY Islanders

Tampa Bay

Nikita Kucherov has 8 points in the last 5 meetings

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

In the last meetings

Nikita Kucherov vs NY Islanders · game by game

Andrei Vasilevskiy has been the difference

Ilya Sorokin

Andrei Vasilevskiy

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

5 on the injury lists

NY Islanders · injuries

Tampa Bay · injuries

Latest moves

NY Islanders · 2026 draft

Tampa Bay · 2026 draft

Saturday 30 January · the full slate