Early look The full preview opens on Monday 15 February, 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 Rangers at New York Islanders: game preview

Puck drop18 Feb · 7:00 PM ET
VenueUBS Arena
All-time meetings347 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Fourteen points apart last season

NY Rangers finished last season 30th in the league on 77 points. NY Islanders finished 19th on 91, and the 2025-26 season series went NYI 4-0-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 348

Across 347 completed games, NY Islanders lead the head-to-head 174-151-21.

All-time record174-151-21NY Islanders's record in the series
Meetings played347This is number 348
2025-26 seriesNYI 4-0-0
Last 54-1NY Islanders
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
6 OctNYI 2 – NYR 519–24NYI 1/4 · NYR 1/3NYR
29 Jan 2026NYI 2 – NYR 121–21NYI 0/3 · NYR 1/3NYI
28 Jan 2026NYR 2 – NYI 516–36NYR 1/3 · NYI 2/3NYI
27 Dec 2025NYR 0 – NYI 227–26NYR 0/3 · NYI 0/5NYI
8 Nov 2025NYI 5 – NYR 026–33NYI 1/2 · NYR 0/2NYI
Head-to-head finder

The table on each meeting night

DateNY RangersNY Islanders
8 Nov 20257-7-2 · 16 pts22nd7-6-2 · 16 pts20th
27 Dec 202519-17-4 · 42 pts17th21-13-4 · 46 pts6th
28 Jan 202622-25-6 · 50 pts28th28-19-5 · 61 pts13th
29 Jan 202622-25-6 · 50 pts28th28-19-5 · 61 pts13th
6 Oct4-1-0 · 8 pts1st1-2-0 · 2 pts24th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 8 Nov 2025, NY Rangers were 22nd in the league and NY Islanders 20th. By 6 Oct it was 1st and 24th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

NY Rangers out-attempted NY Islanders 279 to 270

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

New York Rangers

279 att · 121 on goal · 8 G · 6.6%
Crease24 att · 1 G
Slot108 att · 2 G
Wing103 att · 4 G
Point38 att · 1 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

New York Islanders

270 att · 128 on goal · 16 G · 12.5%
Crease22 att · 3 G
Slot99 att · 7 G
Wing104 att · 5 G
Point36 att · 0 G
Neutral zone9 att · 1 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

NY Rangers 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 RangersNY Islanders
3.44xG for per game2.90
2.77xG against per game3.70
55.4%xG share44.0%
−1.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals+0.3
+5.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+4.1

This season: 5 games for NY Rangers, 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

NY Rangers

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2624.7% · 5th
Power play · last 5 meetings3/14 · 21.4%
Penalty kill · 2026-2787.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.9% · 15th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.2% · 151/289
Drawn · 2026-2714 (2.80/gm)
Drawn · last meetings14 (2.80/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/gm)
PP goals · last meetings3

NY Islanders

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2718.2%
Power play · 2025-2616.5% · 30th
Power play · last 5 meetings4/17 · 23.5%
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 meetings17 (3.40/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings4

Skaters

Bo Horvat has 5 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
93Mika Zibanejad51451.00
94Gabe Perreault52240.80
10Brayden Schenn31341.33
14Bo Horvat32131.00
53Casey Cizikas31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
23Adam Fox50551.00
5Sean Durzi51120.40
8Logan Stanley30220.67
3Adam Pelech30110.33
Defencemen stats

Bo Horvat vs NY Rangers · game by game

See all: Bo Horvat vs NY Rangers · game by game →
DateVenueGAPSOGTOI
6 Octaway101217:49
29 Jan 2026away011219:55
28 Jan 2026home011117:07
27 Dec 2025home000422:41
8 Nov 2025away202518:11
Last 5 meetings5 P3 G, 2 A · 14 SOG
Next best5 PJean-Gabriel Pageau, NYI
2026-27 season3 P3 GP · 2 G
Blank vs NYR1 of 5
Full game log

Goaltending

Ilya Sorokin has started most of these meetings

Ilya Sorokin played 2 of the last 5 meetings with NY Rangers, with a .981 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 15 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 15 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NYR · 3-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Feb

SV% · 2026-27.9264 GP · 1.75 GAA · 2025-26 .912
vs NY Islanders.8993 app · 69 SA · 7 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+4.64 starts · most on the roster
vs NYIVenueSAGASV%
6 Octhome192.895
27 Dec 2025away251.960
8 Nov 2025home254.840

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Dylan Garand 1.000 (1 GP)

Full game log

NYI · 1-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 15 Feb

SV% · 2026-27.9682 GP · 1.02 GAA · 2025-26 .906
vs NY Rangers.9812 app · 54 SA · 1 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+4.12 starts · most on the roster
vs NYRVenueSAGASV%
29 Jan 2026away211.952
8 Nov 2025away3301.000

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

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.7 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

6 Oct7 · NYI 2–5 NYR
29 Jan 20263 · NYI 2–1 NYR
28 Jan 20267 · NYR 2–5 NYI
27 Dec 20252 · NYR 0–2 NYI
8 Nov 20255 · NYI 5–0 NYR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
NY Rangers3.201.602.903.05
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 suggest5.7Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings4.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

NY Rangers · injuries

Adam SykoraLower BodyIRReturn25 Jan
Aidan ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct
Joe VelenoLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct
Joonas KorpisaloLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct

NY Islanders · injuries

Alexander RomanovUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
Mathew BarzalKneeIRReturn10 Oct
6 Oct · NYR

Recalled C Gabriel Beaudoin from Hartford (AHL). Placed C Joe Veleno on injured reserve.

5 Oct · NYR

Placed D Matthew Robertson on waivers.

1 Oct · NYR

Placed G Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve. Recalled G Dylan Garand from Hartford (AHL).

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
#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD
#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD
#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG
#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD
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