Early look The full preview opens on Friday 6 November, 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 San Jose Sharks: game preview

Puck drop9 Nov · 10:00 PM ET
VenueSAP Center at San Jose
All-time meetings54 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Five points apart last season

NY Islanders finished last season 19th in the league on 91 points. San Jose finished 24th on 86.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 55

Across 54 completed games, NY Islanders lead the head-to-head 28-17-9.

All-time record28-17-9NY Islanders's record in the series
Meetings played54This is number 55
2025-26 series—
Last 55-0NY Islanders
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
7 Mar 2026NYI 2 – SJS 1 OT——NYI
21 Oct 2025SJS 3 – NYI 4——NYI
8 Mar 2025NYI 4 – SJS 2——NYI
18 Jan 2025SJS 1 – NYI 4——NYI
7 Mar 2024NYI 7 – SJS 2——NYI
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY IslandersSan Jose
21 Oct 20253-3-0 · 6 pts23rd0-4-2 · 2 pts31st
7 Mar 202628-19-5 · 61 pts13th26-21-3 · 55 pts21st

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 21 Oct 2025, NY Islanders were 23rd in the league and San Jose 31st. By 7 Mar 2026 it was 13th and 21st.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

San Jose out-attempted NY Islanders 125 to 120

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

New York Islanders

120 att · 61 on goal · 6 G · 9.8%
Crease16 att · 1 G
Slot33 att · 3 G
Wing44 att · 2 G
Point19 att · 0 G
Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

San Jose Sharks

125 att · 67 on goal · 4 G · 6.0%
Crease17 att · 1 G
Slot52 att · 2 G
Wing35 att · 1 G
Point19 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

NY Islanders 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 IslandersSan Jose
2.90xG for per game2.13
3.70xG against per game3.72
44.0%xG share36.4%
+0.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.6
+4.1GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.8

This season: 3 games for NY Islanders, 3 for San Jose. 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

San Jose

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2621.2% · 16th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.4% · 26th
Faceoffs · 2026-2744.4% · 72/162
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/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
2Will Smith32131.00
92Igor Chernyshov32131.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
8Logan Stanley30220.67
3Adam Pelech30110.33
42Luca Cagnoni31120.67
5Nolan Allan21010.50
65Jacob Trouba30110.33
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 7 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 7 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NY Islanders crease

NYI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Nov

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

No appearances against San Jose in the last meetings.

San Jose crease

SJS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Nov

Yaroslav Askarov.8623 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −0.8

No appearances against NY Islanders in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.2 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

7 Mar 20263 · NYI 2–1 SJS
21 Oct 20257 · SJS 3–4 NYI
8 Mar 20256 · NYI 4–2 SJS
18 Jan 20255 · SJS 1–4 NYI
7 Mar 20249 · NYI 7–2 SJS

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
San Jose3.004.003.063.56

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 suggest6.2Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

NY Islanders · injuries

Alexander RomanovUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
Mathew BarzalKneeIRReturn10 Oct

San Jose · injuries

Adam GaudetteUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Alex Barre-BouletUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Cam LundUpper BodyIRReturn19 Oct
Kyle KeyserUpper BodyIRReturn1 Dec
Macklin CelebriniLower BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
Quentin MustyUpper BodyIRReturn1 Dec
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.

4 Oct · SJS

Placed C Patrick Giles on waivers.

27 Sep · SJS

Placed G Ilya Samsonov on waivers.

23 Sep · SJS

Placed RW Ethan Cardwell, D Libor Hajek and LW Tye Felhaber 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
#2Ivar StenbergRound 1 · FrolundaLW
#9Keaton VerhoeffRound 1 · North DakotaD
#21Ryan LinRound 1 · VancouverD
#127Brady KnowlingRound 4 · Usa U-18G
Full draft

Updated after every final