Early look The full preview opens on Friday 20 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

Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Islanders: game preview

Puck drop23 Nov · 7:30 PM ET
VenueUBS Arena
All-time meetings196 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Thirteen points apart last season

Toronto finished last season 28th in the league on 78 points. NY Islanders finished 19th on 91, 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 197

Across 196 completed games, NY Islanders lead the head-to-head 102-82-12.

All-time record102-82-12NY Islanders's record in the series
Meetings played196This is number 197
2025-26 seriesNYI 3-0-0
Last 53-2NY Islanders
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
30 SepNYI 1 – TOR 227–26NYI 0/4 · TOR 1/4TOR
9 Apr 2026TOR 3 – NYI 5——NYI
17 Mar 2026NYI 3 – TOR 1——NYI
3 Jan 2026TOR 3 – NYI 4 OT——NYI
2 Jan 2025TOR 2 – NYI 1——TOR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each meeting night

DateTorontoNY Islanders
3 Jan 202619-15-7 · 45 pts19th23-15-4 · 50 pts8th
17 Mar 202629-28-12 · 70 pts24th39-24-5 · 83 pts9th
9 Apr 202632-33-14 · 78 pts27th43-31-5 · 91 pts13th
30 Sep1-1-0 · 2 pts8th0-1-0 · 0 pts28th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 3 Jan 2026, Toronto were 19th in the league and NY Islanders 8th. By 30 Sep it was 8th and 28th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

NY Islanders out-attempted Toronto 272 to 211

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

Toronto Maple Leafs

211 att · 90 on goal · 9 G · 10.0%
Crease15 att · 2 G
Slot78 att · 3 G
Wing80 att · 4 G
Point32 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

New York Islanders

272 att · 130 on goal · 13 G · 10.0%
Crease26 att · 5 G
Slot99 att · 4 G
Wing103 att · 3 G
Point38 att · 1 G
Neutral zone6 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.

TorontoNY Islanders
3.40xG for per game2.90
3.21xG against per game3.70
51.4%xG share44.0%
−2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+0.3
+1.9GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+4.1

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

Toronto

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2621.3% · 15th
Power play · last 5 meetings1/4 · 25.0%
Penalty kill · 2026-2790.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.2% · 8th
Faceoffs · 2026-2751.1% · 113/221
Drawn · 2026-2714 (3.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings4 (0.80/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings1

NY Islanders

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2718.2%
Power play · 2025-2616.5% · 30th
Power play · last 5 meetings0/4 · 0.0%
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 meetings4 (0.80/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Easton Cowan has 2 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.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
34Auston Matthews42351.25
91John Tavares41230.75
10Brayden Schenn31341.33
14Bo Horvat32131.00
53Casey Cizikas31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
44Morgan Rielly40330.75
43Darren Raddysh40110.25
8Logan Stanley30220.67
3Adam Pelech30110.33
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 21 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 21 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Toronto crease

TOR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 20 Nov

Sergei Bobrovsky.8872 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx +0.1
Anthony Stolarz.9042 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +0.6
#vs NYIAppsSAGASV%
41Anthony Stolarz1271.963

NY Islanders crease

NYI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 20 Nov

Ilya Sorokin.9682 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +4.1
Semyon Varlamov.8641 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +0.4
#vs TORAppsSAGASV%
30Ilya Sorokin1262.923

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 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

30 Sep3 · NYI 1–2 TOR
9 Apr 20268 · TOR 3–5 NYI
17 Mar 20264 · NYI 3–1 TOR
3 Jan 20267 · TOR 3–4 NYI
2 Jan 20253 · TOR 2–1 NYI

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Toronto2.752.753.093.65
NY Islanders3.002.332.842.94

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 suggest6.1Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

Toronto · injuries

Cade WebberElbowIRReturn31 Oct
Dakota JoshuaAbdomenIRReturn24 Oct
Elvis MerzlikinsShoulderIRReturn30 Mar
Max DomiBackIRReturn21 Nov
William VilleneuveKneeIRReturn31 Oct

NY Islanders · injuries

Alexander RomanovUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
Mathew BarzalKneeIRReturn10 Oct
5 Oct · TOR

Placed RW Nikita Grebenkin on injured reserve.

30 Sep · TOR

Moved C Max Domi from the non-roster list to long-term injured reserve.

29 Sep · TOR

Placed D Cade Webber on the injured non-roster list.

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.

Injury report
#1Gavin McKennaRound 1 · Penn StateLW
#60Alexander BileckiRound 2 · KitchenerD
#69Ethan MacKenzieRound 3 · EdmontonD
#73Zach OlsenRound 3 · SaskatoonRW
Full draft

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

Updated after every final