Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

It’s a Quick Fix featuring Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and former VP of Communications for the Islanders, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL).

In this episode, Joe and Chris react to “Clean Out Day” interviews with players and GM Mathieu Darche following the bitterly disappointing end to the Islanders’ 2025-26 season. We dig into Darche’s comments defending his in-season trades, which he says helped the team but didn’t lead to team success. Based on his comments, the big changes some expect may not come with a roster that has few spots open, and several contracts that will be hard to move.

Isles Fix Podcast Network

Later, we discuss the treatment of Anders Lee this season, and the type of deal Darche may make to have the captain return and play his 1,000th game in an Islanders uniform. Plus, Barzal and Ritchie say they’re centers, Bridgeport loads up for the post-season, and reasons to be optimistic about next season.

Thanks to all who listened this season. Enjoy!

📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, the Isles lost only five games in OT/SO’s; it was their fewest OT/SO losses since the shootout was introduced in 2005-06. The Isles did not play OT in their last 17 games, the longest single-season streak in the shootout era for the club.

🎥 ISLES REWIND: On Apr. 17, 1980, the New York Islanders defeated the Boston Bruins 5-4 in overtime for the second consecutive game in their Stanley Cup quarterfinal matchup as Bob Bourne tallied the game-winner 1:24 into the extra sessions after intercepting a pass and unloading a slap shot just inside the blue line and past Gerry Cheevers. The game is also known for one of the most eventful bench-clearing brawls in Stanley Cup history that ignited the Islanders, who won the best-of-seven series in five games.

🔗 Islanders’ breakup day grounded in ‘miserable’ reality of missing playoffs: ‘Absolutely sucks’ by Ethan Sears, New York Post “No matter what the rest of the league, or the stats, or their own fans thought, the Islanders, almost uniformly, insisted on optimism. Not Wednesday. Big picture, yes, the organization is in a much better spot than it was a year ago. It’s got an 18-year-old superstar in Matthew Schaefer, a prospect pipeline that looks legitimately promising and real reason to believe there can be a contending team on Long Island in the very near future.”

🔗 Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer marvels at what he was able to do in first year on Long Island by Andrew Gross, Newsday “Matthew Schaefer’s record-setting rookie season started with admittedly humbler goals than budding superstardom after the Islanders selected him first overall in June. First, he just wanted to make the team, let alone quickly ascend to being its No. 1 defenseman and top power-play quarterback. Then he wanted to last 10 games so he wouldn’t be sent back to junior hockey.”

And we leave you with this…Semyon Varlamov takes the ice for Bridgeport!

Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until the next newsletter.

And please check out our newsletters about the Knicks and Mets, too.

Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

It’s hard — maybe harder than it should be — to put aside how it ended and remember how much fun it was along the way.

Because right now, the disappointment is loud. It lingers. It stings. You think about the missed chances, the games that slipped away, the slow unraveling over the final month that turned something promising into something frustrating. That’s the part that sticks first. But if you give it time, if you let the sting fade just a little, you’ll remember something else.

You’ll remember the moments this season gave you.

It will always be the year of Matthew Schaefer — the year an 18-year-old didn’t just arrive, but took over. The year he became the face of the Islanders and hinted, loudly, that he might be one of the next faces of the NHL. From ping pong lottery luck to the no-doubt Calder Trophy winner, it was a ride nobody saw coming, and nobody will forget. It was that good.

There were moments. Plenty of them.

Undefeated in OT. The brilliance of Ilya Sorokin. The sellouts. A dominating sweep of the Rangers and Devils. Nights where UBS Arena buzzed with something real, something building. For a while, it felt like anything was possible.

And then came the turn.

The losses. The collapse. The firing of Patrick Roy. The bold moves by Mathieu Darche that didn’t land the way they were meant to. The arrival of a new voice behind the bench, and questions that will carry into the summer.

That’s part of the story, too. But it’s not the whole thing.

Because seasons, even the ones that fall short, are built on moments. And this one had plenty that made you smile, that pulled you in, that reminded you why you care in the first place.

In time, that’s what you’ll remember most about a season that gave us a lot, but had more to give.

Let’s dive in.

Game Recap

The New York Islanders closed out their season with a 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night, dropping their seventh game in the last eight.

Mark Jankowski scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, while Nikolaj Ehlers opened the scoring early in the first for Carolina, which finished atop the Eastern Conference after winning four of its final five games.

Bo Horvat provided the lone goal for New York, tying the game late in the second period off a pass from Mathew Barzal. Rookie Victor Eklund recorded an assist in his NHL debut. David Rittich made 19 saves in the loss, while Carolina’s Brandon Bussi stopped 28 shots. Ehlers finished his first season with Carolina with a career-high 71 points. The Hurricanes also saw Felix Unger Sorum pick up an assist in his NHL debut.

For the Islanders, it marked a quiet end to a difficult stretch to close the season.

GameScore Impact Card

⏭ NEXT UP: The Off-Season

📊 STANDINGS

Is This The End of Anders Lee?

Anders Lee was asked if he expects clarity soon from first-year GM Mathieu Darche. Islanders captain Anders Lee kept the focus on the present.

“That’s a good question,” Lee said. “I don’t know. I know we’ll have our closing meetings and have a chance to revisit some of this conversation and go from there. My focus, as a player and the captain of the team, has been on the team and what I can do to help it.”

Before the game, Andrew Gross of Newsday presented Lee with the Sid Payne Good Guy Award, named for the late Long Island Press sports reporter who covered the team from its birth in 1972 to his untimely passing in 1976.

Lee, who will turn 36 on July 3, just completed the eighth season of his seven-year, $49 million deal and has long maintained his desire to remain with the only NHL organization he’s known. Contract discussions were expected to wait until the offseason, and that approach held throughout the year.

Lee continued to provide consistency and durability, entering the finale with 19 goals and 23 assists, while appearing in all 82 games — the third time in the last four seasons he’s done so, and the fifth time in his career. Over that span, he has missed just one game, reinforcing his role as a steady presence for the Islanders.

News & Notes

Wearing No. 73, one of the team’s top prospects, Victor Eklund, made his NHL debut Tuesday night, skating alongside Simon Holmstrom and Bo Horvat. “When I found out last night, I called my mom, my dad, my brother,” Eklund said. “I’m super excited… it’s a dream come true.”

His parents traveled to Long Island while his brother, William Eklund, watched from afar. Head coach Peter DeBoer offered encouragement ahead of the debut. “He told me to enjoy it… and that I deserve it,” Eklund said. DeBoer praised the 19-year-old’s “speed, skill, and tenacity,” traits that earned him the opportunity.

Liam Foudy made his season debut after a strong AHL campaign with 25 goals and 46 points, skated with Casey Cizikas and Marc Gatcomb. Ryan Pulock missed the season finale; the team cited several injuries he was battling, per the team. Pulock has 27 points (3G, 24A) through 76 games this season.

Performance Bonus

Matthew Schaefer’s historic rookie season delivered more than highlights — it also triggered a standard salary cap outcome tied to his performance bonuses.

As an entry-level player, Schaefer is eligible for performance bonuses based on individual achievements. He reached all Level A thresholds for defensemen, including goals, assists, points, and top-tier ice time. His elite production also puts him in position to earn Level B bonuses, which are awarded for finishing among the NHL’s top 10 defensemen in categories like scoring or ice time.

Those bonuses are not counted against the salary cap during the season, but are applied afterward. If they push the Islanders over the cap, the excess becomes a carryover charge for next season. It’s a common scenario for teams with standout young players — and in this case, a reflection of just how impactful Schaefer’s rookie year has been for the Islanders.

📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Bo Horvat joined Anders Lee as Islanders who scored their 300th career goal this season; prior to that, only three other non-Dynasty players had done so – all between 2004 -2006 (Cliff Ronning, Alexei Yashin, Miroslav Satan). Horvat (31 years, 9 days) is the youngest Islander since Clark Gillies (30-364 on 4/6/1985) to score his 300th goal as an Islander; Gillies also did it in a season finale. Mike Bossy was 25, and Bryan Trottier was 26 when they hit 300 NHL goals. Victor Eklund earned the secondary assist on the goal for his first career NHL point.

🎥 ISLES REWIND: On Apr. 16, 1985, the New York Islanders became the first team in NHL history to overcome a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series, eliminating the Washington Capitals three games to two. The Isles beat the Caps 2-1 in DC for the deciding Game 5 victory. Anders Kallur and Brent Sutter scored for the Isles in the second period, and Billy Smith stopped 39 of 40 shots in the road win.

📺 Up The Turnpike: Postgame Recap, Reaction, Highlights

🔗 Islanders’ flameout leaves Anders Lee’s future unclear by Ethan Sears, New York Post “The first, obviously, is the way the Islanders finished the season. Crashing out in spectacular fashion and failing to make the playoffs changed this from a feel-good, fun year to one that will prompt general manager Mathieu Darche to reexamine the roster, even if the franchise is still undoubtedly on an upward trajectory. Lee, as a 35-year-old whose contract is expiring, is a convenient lever for change.”

🔗 Islanders playoff miss likely cost Sorokin Vezina Trophy by Nestor Quixtran, Eyes on Isles “One of the narratives surrounding the New York Islanders throughout this season was Ilya Sorokin’s brilliant season. For a while, the chatter focused on Sorokin following in Connor Hellebuyck’s Vezina/Hart Trophy season last year. Hellebuyck earned the rare feat by posting otherworldly numbers en route to the Winnipeg Jets winning the Presidents’ Trophy.”

And we leave you with this…the team leaders for the 2025-26 season

Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until the next newsletter.

And please check out our newsletters about the Knicks and Mets, too.

Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

“Playing with house money” is supposed to feel liberating. It’s the idea that you’ve already won, already beaten the odds, already turned something small into something meaningful — and now, whatever comes next is a bonus.

You take a few more chances. You loosen your grip. You play freer, bolder, like there’s to lose because, in a way, there isn’t.

For a long stretch of this Islanders season, that’s exactly what it felt like. They weren’t supposed to be here, not really. It was supposed to be a transition, a retool, a year spent figuring things out. And instead, they overachieved. They hung around. They collected points. They built belief. That’s house money. That’s the sweet spot where pressure fades, and possibility grows.

But then came the pivot.

Read more

Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

I’ve been an Islanders fan since the 1992-93 season, which means I’ve seen just about every version of this team there is to see (besides the Stanley Cup-winning type, of course).

I’ve seen the ones that never had a chance, seasons where you knew by Thanksgiving it wasn’t happening. I’ve seen the rare teams that locked up their spot early and let you enjoy the ride without the nightly anxiety. But mostly? It’s been this — the grind. The full-season push. The scoreboard watching. The living and dying with every point in a race for that final playoff spot. Sometimes they got there. Sometimes they didn’t.

But I can’t remember anything like this.

Not like this. Not 4-9-0 over their last 13. Not one goal in two must-win games at home with your season on the line and a new coach behind the bench.

Because make no mistake, this wasn’t just a bad stretch or a tough break. This was a collapse. A full, undeniable free-fall from a team that had everything in front of it and simply let it slip away. They were in position. They didn’t just believe — they acted like it, too. Mathieu Darche bought at the deadline, raised the stakes, and told everyone this season was about more than just progress.

And then it unraveled.

Not because the teams around them surged. Not because they were outplayed over time. But because they lost control of their own season. That’s the part that’s hard to process. That’s the part that sticks. They did it to themselves.

This started with good vibes. With upside. With the feeling that something was building, something real. You could see it in the way Matthew Schaefer energized everything, in the way the building started to believe again. You could picture it — playoff games at UBS Arena, a team nobody wanted to face.

Instead, they seem destined to finish sixth in the division.

And that’s more than disappointing. Because this isn’t something Islanders fans are used to seeing. Not like this. Not from a team that had it all right there.

This wasn’t just another ending. It was something entirely different.

Read more

Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

There is nothing quite like the power of positivity that arrives with a new NHL coach. It doesn’t matter how long he’s been around, how many benches he’s stood behind, how many times he’s run this exact same playbook. When he walks into a new room, everything feels new again. Every drill has purpose. Every message lands a little louder. Every detail suddenly feels like it might be the one that changes everything.

That’s where Peter DeBoer finds himself now.

Nearly two decades behind the bench, and still, in these first few days, everything he touches is met with a kind of unfiltered enthusiasm. “I’m going a little old school for sure with the whiteboard and jerseys,” DeBoer said. “I’m drinking from a fire hose right now trying to get up to speed. Just trying to get information to the guys without paralyzing them.” It’s equal parts honesty and urgency, and right now, it sounds exactly like what this team needs to hear.

Because the early returns are always the same.

The practices feel sharper. The pace feels higher. You hear about intensity — more of it, better of it — just like you did when Patrick Roy replaced Lane Lambert. That’s the cycle. The reset. The jolt that comes when a new voice takes over and everyone leans in just a little bit more.

And DeBoer has done this before.

Read more

Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

This is what a calculated gamble looks like when it’s made by someone who understands more than just the roster in front of him.

Mathieu Darche didn’t just fire Patrick Roy and hire Peter DeBoer. He flipped the narrative. Completely. With four games left in the regular season and a four-game losing streak dragging everything toward an all-too-familiar ending, Darche made the kind of move that stops a season in its tracks and forces everyone — players, fans, media — to look in a different direction.

Because this wasn’t just about results. It was about perception.

The Islanders were teetering. Another loss or two, and the story writes itself: late-season collapse, missed opportunity, trades that didn’t move the needle the way they were supposed to. A failed season from what had so much promise. That’s where this was headed. That’s what was coming. And Darche saw it.

So he changed the story before it could be written.

Now, the season ends one of two ways — and both of them, in their own way, work for him.

If DeBoer walks in and gives the Islanders the jolt coaches sometimes do — the reset, the clarity, the urgency — and they surge into the playoffs, Darche looks bold. Decisive. The first-year GM who saw a slipping season and refused to let it go quietly. The guy who pulled the ripcord at exactly the right moment and saved it.

And if they don’t?

If the losses continue, if the hole they’ve dug proves too deep, then Darche still walks away with something valuable: timing. Because now the conversation shifts. It’s no longer about what went wrong in March and April. It’s about what comes next under DeBoer, one of the most sought-after names on the coaching market.

The summer becomes about the future.

Not the failure.

That matters more than people like to admit.

Because a few days ago, this was about whether moves for players like Soucy, Palat, and Schenn were enough — or not enough. Now? That’s already fading. The focus has shifted forward, exactly where Darche wants it.

He may be a first-year GM, but he understands the game within the game. He understands how quickly narratives harden, and how valuable it is to get in front of them before they do.

Time will tell if he can build a winner on Long Island.

But make no mistake — he already knows how to control the story.

Let’s dive in.

New Guy In Charge

The Islanders have made a major shift behind the bench, as Mathieu Darche announced that Patrick Roy has been relieved of his coaching duties, with veteran bench boss Peter DeBoer stepping in as the franchise’s new head coach. The move signals a clear transition in direction, as the organization pivots toward experience and a proven postseason track record.

DeBoer, 57, arrives after a highly successful three-year run with the Dallas Stars, where he posted a 149-68-29 record (.665 win percentage) and guided the team to three straight Western Conference Final appearances.

DeBoer brings one of the most accomplished résumés in the NHL today. With 662 career wins (18th all-time) and 97 playoff victories, he has led four different franchises to the postseason and reached the Stanley Cup Final twice. His reputation as a big-game coach is underscored by a perfect 9-0 record in Game 7s, the best in league history, along with international success that includes multiple gold medals with Team Canada.

The Move He Could Always Make

When Mathieu Darche took over as GM, he had a chance to immediately reshape the Islanders — but instead, he kept Patrick Roy. At the time, it felt like stability. In hindsight, it looks more like a strategy.

Darche created a built-in safety net. If the team succeeded, he’d share in the credit. If it faltered, he’d have the freedom to pivot to his own coach. For much of the season, it worked. Behind Matthew Schaefer’s breakout and Ilya Sorokin’s elite play, the Islanders surged into the playoff picture, exceeding expectations. Darche doubled down at the deadline, acquiring Brayden Schenn in a clear win-now move — a sign of belief in both the roster and Roy.

But then came the slide. Four straight losses shifted everything. With the playoffs suddenly in jeopardy, Darche made the move he always had available — firing Roy. Instead of focusing on collapse, the conversation turned to a new era and fresh direction.

Bottom line:

Darche played this perfectly from a management standpoint — protecting his timeline while resetting expectations. But it also highlights a tough truth in hockey: When things go wrong, the coach is often the easiest one to replace

⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders and new head coach Peter DeBoer have three days off before their next game, Thursday night against Toronto at UBS Arena.

📊 STANDINGS: Philadelphia knocked the Isles out of third in the Metro, and Ottawa then knocked them out of the second Wild Card spot. Detroit suffered a late loss to Minnesota, and Washington got blown out at Madison Square Garden.

Instant Reaction

In the middle of a playoff push, with everything still technically in front of them, the Islanders didn’t just tweak — they detonated. Chris Botta and I recorded a Quick Fix last night to discuss the shrewd move by the GM, and what it can mean for the Islanders over the last four games and beyond.

📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Patrick Roy was fired the team with fewer games remaining, and later in the season by calendar date, than any other Islanders coach. Butch Goring was let go with 17 games left in 2000-01; meanwhile, Rick Bowness’ last game was on 3/10/98, a week later than Butch, but with 19 games left.

🎥 ISLES REWIND: On April 6th, 2002, the Islanders finally clinched a playoff spot after a seven-year hiatus and one season after posting the worst record in the NHL. Oleg Kvasha, Eric Cairns, Kenny Jonsson, Jason Blake, and Michael Peca scored in a 5-4 win over the Washington Capitals, giving the Isles their first postseason berth since 1994. WATCH: Isles Clinch 2002 Playoff Berth

“We’ve done a good job putting aside a lot of bad traditions,” then first-year Isles coach Peter Laviolette said. “It was nice to kill two birds with one stone.”

📺 Isles House | Reaction to the firing of Patrick Roy

🔗 Islanders jumped line to nab Pete DeBoer with more than saving this season in mind by Ethan Sears, New York Post “Setting aside the very immediate task of pulling the Islanders out of their morass and into the playoffs, these will be pivotal seasons if the franchise is to win a championship with the core it’s currently constructing. The move to hire DeBoer is one of the most important Darche will make as GM.”

🔗 Pete DeBoer hire officially starts the clock on Mathieu Darche’s tenure by Andrew Gross, Newsday “In a sense, DeBoer’s hiring now starts Darche’s clock in earnest. A GM only gets so many coach hirings before his own job is called into question. Sometimes it’s just one. Lamoriello, who ran the Devils from 1987-2015, was the exception, not the rule.”

And we leave you with this… a look into the life and philosophy of Peter DeBoer

Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until the next newsletter.

And please check out our newsletters about the Knicks and Mets, too.

It’s a Quick Fix featuring Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and former VP of Communications for the Islanders, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL).

In this episode, Chris and Joe didn’t dance around it — Mathieu Darche’s decision to fire Patrick Roy with just four games left in the season and immediately bring in Peter DeBoer is as stunning as it gets. In the middle of a playoff push, with everything still technically in front of them, the Islanders didn’t just tweak — they detonated.

Isles Fix Podcast Network

The Islanders are spiraling, losers of four straight, watching their playoff position slip while other teams gain ground. Darche felt like he had no choice — that something, anything, had to change to spark a response. But this wasn’t just about the next four games. This was about control. Darche inherited Roy. He didn’t hire him. And now, at the exact moment where the season can still be salvaged, but failure is a real possibility, Darche makes the move that he owns.

Listen and enjoy!

And we leave you with this… the backpage of the New York Post

Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

These are the times that make it tough to be a fan.

You tell yourself all the right things. It’s just a game. Enjoy the ride. Don’t let it linger. And yet, it does. Back-to-back losses hang over you like a dark cloud, showing up in the quiet moments of your day, in the quick glance at the standings, in the way you replay the what-ifs, whether you want to or not.

Because you’ve invested in this.

Seventy-six games of it. Nights spent watching, reacting, riding the highs, and absorbing the lows. They’ve given you moments — real ones — the kind that pulled you in when maybe this wasn’t supposed to be that kind of season. They gave you hope when expectations were tempered. They made you believe, slowly at first, then all at once.

And now here you are, six games left, wondering if it’s all going to end the way too many seasons do — with that familiar, bitter disappointment.

That’s the part that gets you.

Read more

Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

You knew the Islanders would be up against it last night. That much was obvious before the puck even dropped. But this is the time of year when “up against it” isn’t an excuse — it’s the expectation. It’s playoff time, whether the standings say you’re in or out, and that means desperation has to show up in every shift, every decision, every detail. Execution isn’t optional now. It’s everything.

And the Islanders just weren’t sharp enough when it mattered most.

Without Simon Holmstrom, they put together what you’d call a decent road effort. Structured enough. Competitive enough. The kind of game that, a few weeks ago, probably got you at least a point and maybe more. And when Anders Lee fired that puck into the crease, and it caught a piece of a skate to tie things up, it felt like one of those nights where you find a way. Not perfect, not pretty, but enough to steady things and leave with something.

That’s all you’re asking for right now. Something.

Instead, they got nothing.

Read more

Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

To say the Islanders — and everyone packed into UBS Arena — were blindsided would be an understatement. The loss to Ottawa was a gut punch. The loss to Chicago was a letdown. Each, in its own way, is shocking. This? This was something else entirely. This was bewildering. The kind of night that leaves you staring at the ice, then at the scoreboard, then back at the ice again, trying to make sense of something that doesn’t want to be explained.

What just happened? Because we’ve seen leads disappear before. We’ve seen momentum swing. That’s hockey. But not like this. Not in a way that felt so sudden, so complete, so irreversible.

The Islanders had it. A 3-1 lead. Control of the game. Control of the building. A sellout crowd ready to carry them the rest of the way. And then, somehow, everything changed at the exact moment it shouldn’t have — on the power play.

One short-handed goal by Pittsburgh flipped the entire night on its head.

And when I say everything changed, I mean everything.

The wheels completely came off.

What was a team in command instantly became a team unraveling. Structure gave way to chaos. Composure turned into panic. Pucks stopped getting managed. Battles stopped getting won. The Islanders didn’t just lose the lead — they lost themselves. Shift after shift, they looked out of sorts, outworked, and overwhelmed, as if the game had sped up on them all at once.

Behind it all was Ilya Sorokin, who deserved better and didn’t get it. Left exposed by breakdown after breakdown, he allowed seven goals for the first time in his career — a number that says as much about what was happening in front of him as anything else. It was a night where adjustments came too late, if at all.

Read more

Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

Sometimes, in a season that has felt like a grind, things just… break right.

Not because you planned it. Not because you earned every ounce of it in a clean, linear way. But because hockey, like life, occasionally tilts in your favor all at once. Momentum shifts. Optimism creeps back in. And those playoff probabilities everyone keeps refreshing suddenly start pointing in the right direction.

Saturday was one of those days for the New York Islanders.

Down 2-0, with that all-too-familiar “here we go again” feeling settling into the building, it could’ve gone the other way. It has gone the other way before. But this time, something flipped. The Islanders didn’t just respond — they erupted. Five goals in a span that felt like a release, a reminder, a statement all wrapped into one. It was one of their most dominant periods of the season, the kind that turns the final 20 minutes into something almost ceremonial.

And when it ended, you could feel it.

The standings refreshed, and there they were — sitting in second place in the Metro, if only for the moment. A snapshot, sure. But in late March, snapshots start to matter. Then came the out-of-town scoreboard, and for once, it cooperated. Pittsburgh lost. Columbus lost. Detroit lost. All in regulation. No three-point games, no creeping disappointment.

Read more

Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

This is how it’s going to be, isn’t it?

The push and pull. The doubt and the belief, sometimes separated by nothing more than a night, a period, a bounce. Before the game, I polled more than 1,200 fans with a simple question: Will the Islanders make the playoffs?

The response told you everything you needed to know. 52% said yes. 48% percent said no. A fanbase split straight down the middle, hearts wanting one thing, heads warning of another. And if you’re being honest, before the game, it felt like the 48 percent might have the edge.

And then the Islanders went out and did what they always seem to do.

They made you beLIeve again.

Because this is who they are, maddening and magnetic all at once. A team that shakes your faith just enough to make you question everything, then pulls you right back in when you’re ready to let go. Against the Dallas Stars, they didn’t just play well — they played like themselves again. Structured. Composed. Resilient in all the ways that have defined them when they’re at their best.

And when they needed their stars, their stars answered.

Bo Horvat set the tone early, scoring his 30th goal of the season, striking first and giving the building life. Matthew Schaefer — who somehow keeps looking more comfortable in these moments — drove play and imposed himself again. And behind it all, as has so often been the case, Ilya Sorokin, playing in his 300th career game, was brilliant, steady, and unflappable when the game tilted late.

Because, of course, it tilted.

Dallas pushed hard in the final minutes, waves of pressure, the kind that turns a comfortable night into something far more tense. You could feel it building, the nervous energy creeping back in, the same questions starting to whisper again.

But this time, the Islanders held.

The buzzer sounded. The exhale came.

And just like that, they’re back in a playoff spot.

This is how it’s going to be.

Game Recap

Ilya Sorokin delivered a statement performance when the Islanders needed it most, stopping 26 shots to lift the Islanders to a 2-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night at UBS Arena.

Facing one of the NHL’s top teams, Sorokin set the tone early, turning aside a shorthanded breakaway and several high-danger chances in a sharp first period. He remained steady throughout, killing off penalties in the second and third before allowing the lone goal late on a 6-on-5.

Bo Horvat opened the scoring five minutes in with his 30th goal of the season, while rookie Calum Ritchie added insurance with his 11th. Matthew Schaefer assisted on both goals, reaching 54 points and tying Denis Potvin for the second-most by a rookie defenseman in franchise history.

Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for Dallas, but the Islanders did enough to move themselves back into a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

GameScore Impact Card

⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders will be back on home ice Saturday afternoon when they battle the Florida Panthers at UBS Arena. Face-off is at 1:00 PM EDT.

📊 STANDINGS

🗞 News & Notes

Hours before Thursday night’s game against the Dallas Stars, the Islanders announced that Tony DeAngelo will be out 1-2 weeks with a lower-body injury. The defenseman sustained the injury in the first period of Tuesday’s game after logging 6:09 TOI, limping off the ice after a Blackhawks goal.

DeAngelo has 33 points (5G, 28A) through 72 games this season.

• 27pts at even strength (23rd among defensemen)
• 63.3 xGF% in his minutes with Schaefer
• 93rd percentile in rush offense (via AllThreeZones)

Barzal’s Backcheck

Mathew Barzal has had one of his best all-around seasons, but that doesn’t make him immune from the type of mental mistake that’s not supposed to happen to a veteran player during a playoff push.

With the Islanders up 1-0, Barzal turned the puck over at the blueline, leading to a 2-on-0 rush for the Blackhawks. David Rittich made the initial save before the trailing player scored, with Barzal slow to come back on the back check.

Before the game, he addressed the play (h/t Stefen Rosner, The Hockey News)

Eklund To Bridgeport

The Islanders announced Thursday that their 2025 first-round pick (16th overall) will make the transition to North American hockey, assigning the forward to the Bridgeport Islanders for the remainder of the season.

The 5-foot-11, 161-pound winger is coming off his first full campaign in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), where he recorded 24 points (6 goals, 18 assists) in 43 games. Before earning his promotion to Sweden’s top league, he developed with Djurgårdens IF in Allsvenskan, posting 35 points (20 goals, 15 assists) across 57 games. He has been part of the Djurgårdens system since 2020.

Internationally, he played a key role in Sweden’s gold-medal run at the 2026 World Junior Championship, totaling eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) in seven games. The Islanders signed the promising forward to a three-year entry-level contract on July 14, 2025, and he now takes the next step with Bridgeport.

📚 SOUND SMART: Per NHL PR, Matthew Schaefer (0-1—1) logged his 53rd and 54th points of the season and passed Vladimir Malakhov (52 in 1992-93) for the third-most points in a campaign by an Islanders rookie defenseman. He trails only Stefan Persson (56 in 1977-78) and Denis Potvin (54 in 1973-74). He also recorded his 11th multi-point game, the second most by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history behind only Phil Housley (13).

🎥 ISLES REWIND: On March 27, 1982, Mike Bossy scored the winning goal with just 24 seconds to play as the Islanders rallied from 2-0, 3-1, and 4-3 deficits and clinched first place overall with a 5-4 win over the Hartford Whalers. The Isles set franchise records with their 52nd win and 32nd home victory, improving to 20-0-2 in their last 22 games on Coliseum ice.

📺 New York Islanders Postgame Availability | NYI vs DAL

🔗 Sorokin superb again, Islanders hang on to beat Stars by Joe Pantorno, AMNY “The star netminder has allowed just one goal over his last two starts, a span that began on Sunday in a 1-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets in which he tied a franchise record with his seventh shutout of the season. “I don’t even know what more I can say good about him,” forward Bo Horvat said about Sorokin. “He’s a phenomenal player, we’re so lucky to have him, and he was phenomenal again tonight.”

🔗 Alexander Romanov Joins Islanders For Morning Skate Wearing Non-Contact Jersey by Stefen Rosner, The hockey News “Defenseman Alexander Romanov (shoulder) rejoined the New York Islanders for their morning skate ahead of Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars. He skated as an extra, donning an orange non-contact sweater. Romanov, due to two injuries this season, the latter requiring shoulder surgery, has played in just 15 games this season.”

And we leave you with this…on Mets opening day, the Islanders had a congratulations message for their former play-by-play, who will be retiring after this season.

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It’s a Quick Fix featuring Joe Buono (@IslesFix) and former VP of Communications for the Islanders, Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL).

In this episode, Joe and Chris react to the team’s inexcusable loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, which has the Isles back outside of a playoff spot, and the fanbase once again doubting whether they’ll have enough to find their way back in. We get each of their predictions for where the Islanders will be at season’s end.

Isles Fix Podcast Network

Throughout the show, they take questions from social media on Mathew Barzal’s lack of effort on the game-changing goal, whether Patrick Roy’s longevity as coach will be impacted by the way the season ends, and Mathieu Darche’s calculated gamble that hasn’t quite worked out.

Listen and enjoy!

📚 SOUND SMART: Per Eric Hornick in The Skinny, Bo Horvat matched a career high with nine shots on goal: Matthew Schaefer matched a career high in shots (8), had 17 attempts, and played 31:59 – the most by any Islander since 2010…Schaefer played 11:56 in the 2nd period and 11:43 in the third, making him the only rookie in at least the last five years with multiple periods of 11 minutes in the same game, and skated 4.70 miles, which was the second-highest total by an NHL defenseman this season.

🎥 ISLES REWIND: On Mar. 26, 1995, Ray Ferraro scored his 14th goal of the season after a shot deflected off Patrick Flatley’s face with 2:34 left in the third as the Isles rallied from a three-goal deficit to tie the eventual Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils 5-5 at the Nassau Coliseum. The game is also remembered for Claude Lemieux taking a cheap shot at Brett Lindros while defenseman Scott Stevens had the young defenseman over the NJ bench.

🔗 Eiserman Reacts to Turning Pro, Signing ELC with Islanders by Rachel Luscher, NewYorkIslanders.com “It’s been a whirlwind week for Cole Eiserman, who is settling into Bridgeport for his first taste of professional hockey after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the New York Islanders on Wednesday. “Signing an NHL contract is something I wanted to do my whole life,” Eiserman said. “To have my family there with me and go through that decision was awesome. And once it was signed, I had a big sigh of relief and just know that I have a new chapter now.”

🔗 Josh Bailey tells the story of the unique location he was in when traded by the NY Islanders by Mike Stahurski “I was in Ireland at the time,” Bailey said. “I was with Marty, Cal, Pelly was there, Barzy was there… We were on the 18th hole at Royal Portrush, and my caddy, in his Irish accent, said, ‘Hey lad, your phone’s ringing.’ I knew what was going down, but didn’t know exactly. It was my agent, followed by Lou (Lamoriello). It was actually great in the moment, having those guys around me.”

And we leave you with this…Thomas Hicky on Morning Cuppa Hockey

Thanks for reading! Follow us on Twitter for regular updates until the next newsletter.

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Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

As the buzzer sounded at UBS Arena, the words hung in the air longer than they should have. “It’s a shame, it’s a shame, and it’s a missed opportunity,” MSG analyst Thomas Hickey said, and there wasn’t a soul in the building who could argue otherwise. This wasn’t just a loss. This was the kind that follows you, the kind that waits for you at the end of a season and asks what might have been.

One game removed from a needed, feel-good response against Columbus, the Islanders found themselves right back where they didn’t want to be — outside the playoff picture, staring at a result that felt entirely avoidable. If things stay that way, if the margins don’t swing back in their favor, this 4-3 loss to Chicago will be the one circled, underlined, and remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Because here’s the maddening part: they pushed. They pressed. They played desperate hockey when the situation demanded it, piling up 27 high-danger chances — their most in over two years — and nearly clawing all the way back. But none of that erases the 7-minute stretch in the first period where everything unraveled. Sloppy. Disjointed. Completely out of character.

And just like that, a quick start, and dominating ending, all for nought.

“We made a few mistakes in the first,” Anders Lee said. “We made some mistakes and left Rittich out to dry, and the next thing we know it’s 3-1.”

Add in a blown icing call, an injury to Tony DeAngelo, a couple of posts, and it becomes the kind of night where everything that can go wrong does — except this time, it came at the worst possible moment.

It’s hard to explain how that stretch happened. Harder still to ignore what it might mean.

The Islanders gave away what felt like the surest two points left on their schedule. Now they have to chase them down somewhere else, along with their momentum.

And if they don’t?

Well, that would be a shame.

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Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country

What, exactly, does Ilya Sorokin have to do?

It’s a fair question — and at this point in the season, it’s one that deserves a serious answer. Because if the Vezina Trophy is about identifying the most valuable goaltender in the NHL, then Sorokin’s body of work demands more than just consideration. It demands recognition.

Start with the context. The New York Islanders are not a defensive powerhouse. By most measures, they rank near the bottom of the league in limiting high-danger opportunities. Breakdowns happen. Chances pile up. And yet, night after night, Sorokin is the one cleaning it all up.

His numbers reflect that burden — and his dominance.

He leads the NHL in save percentage from the slot, one of the most dangerous scoring areas on the ice. He leads in quality starts, consistently outperforming expectations based on shot volume and difficulty. He sits atop the league in goals saved above expected and shutouts.

And then there’s the number that may define his season best: 14 goalie steals.

That’s 14 games in which Sorokin was the primary reason the Islanders earned two points. Remove even a portion of those, and the Isles aren’t in the playoff race at all. That is value.

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Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

The story heading into Sunday night wore No. 30 and carried a familiar burden. The team and season were suddenly playing with our emotions. Ilya Sorokin had to be the answer — had to be the antidote — because everything around the Islanders suddenly felt a little too fragile for comfort.

The gut punch in Ottawa. The unraveling in Montreal. For the first time since Dec. 4th, the Islanders were out of a playoff spot, and you could sense the uneasiness beginning to creep in. Not panic, not yet — but something close enough to make you wonder where this was headed if it didn’t get corrected fast.

That’s when seasons turn. Or don’t.

After a tough night in Montreal, Sorokin was right back where he wanted to be, between the pipes in the biggest game of the season. And that’s when he reminded everyone exactly who he is, and what he means to this franchise.

He didn’t just play well. He stabilized everything. The late push from Columbus — a team that entered with a 12-game point streak— was met with calm and control. This was Vezina-level goaltending, the kind that doesn’t just keep you in games but changes the temperature of them entirely.

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Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

In hockey, sometimes, you get what you deserve.

On Thursday night against Ottawa, the Islanders didn’t deserve much more than what they got. And they got nothing.

It didn’t feel that way at first. When the Islanders grabbed a 2–1 lead on their first shot of the third period, it had the look of another one of those nights where they’d find a way. Another two points, another step forward in a playoff race that offers zero margin of error.

But then the game changed — or maybe the Islanders did.

Because from that moment on, they didn’t record another shot for the next 17 minutes and 58 seconds. Not one. They stopped pushing. Stopped attacking. Started managing. Started surviving. And that’s a dangerous way to play, especially this time of year.

The Senators, to their credit, did the opposite. They played like a desperate team. They pushed, they forechecked, they threw everything they could toward the net. Eventually, they got what that kind of effort usually earns — bounces, chances, and the opportunity to flip the game.

The Islanders, meanwhile, looked like a team trying to nurse things to overtime. Get the point. Reset. Take their chances three-on-three. So when the game-winning goal went in during the dying seconds, it felt cruel — but also fitting.

Ottawa earned that moment. The Islanders invited it.

Games like this have been rare this season, which is why this one lingers a little longer. Because it was avoidable. And now the Islanders find themselves outside of a playoff spot for the first time since Dec. 4, because they played like a team that wanted to hold onto something, instead of going after it.

Game Recap

The New York Islanders suffered a crushing 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, surrendering the winning goal with just 11.1 seconds remaining.

Brady Tkachuk buried a loose puck in the crease, slipping it past Ilya Sorokin to complete Ottawa’s comeback. The loss pushed the Islanders out of a playoff position in the tightly contested Eastern Conference.

The game opened with immediate intensity as Tkachuk and Anders Lee dropped the gloves off the opening faceoff. Minutes later, Ridly Greig and Brayden Schenn followed with another fight. Matthew Schaefer gave New York a 1-0 lead early in the second period, reaching the 50-point mark and becoming just the second 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history to do so. Shane Pinto tied it shorthanded before Schenn restored the Islanders’ lead early in the third. But Ottawa answered again, as Warren Foegele evened the score before Tkachuk’s late winner. James Reimer made 19 saves for the Senators.

GameScore Impact Card

⏭ NEXT UP: The Islanders finish their road trip Saturday night in Montreal before heading back home for a Sunday night matchup against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Face-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM EDT.

📊 STANDINGS: The Islanders find themselves out of a playoff spot for the first time since Dec. 4 after CBJ, BOS, and DET all won last night.

End of an Era, New Beginning

The Islanders officially announced plans to relocate their AHL affiliate from Bridgeport, Connecticut, to Hamilton, Ontario, starting in 2026-27 (pending league approval), marking a significant organizational shift.

The move is centered on the newly renovated TD Coliseum, an 18,000-seat venue that underwent a $300 million transformation.

“We are excited to make Hamilton our primary affiliate… We look forward to having our top young talent play in front of such a strong fanbase.” — Mathieu Darche

Hamilton officials echoed the excitement, calling it “an exciting new chapter” for the city and its hockey tradition, while the Islanders see this as a clear step forward in strengthening their development pipeline and expanding their reach.

💙 At the same time, the move brings a bittersweet close to a 25-year run in Bridgeport—a place that helped shape generations of Islanders prospects.

“This community has been the heart of our AHL operations… We are grateful for the memories, the partnerships, and the passion.” — Kelly Cheeseman

The Islanders emphasized their commitment to working with Bridgeport through the transition, but for fans in Connecticut, this marks the end of an era defined by loyalty, consistency, and connection to the team’s future stars. Progress often comes with tough goodbyes—and for the Islanders, this is one of them.

LAST CALL

Former Islanders play-by-play TV announcer Howie Rose, who followed Jiggs McDonald and preceeded Brendan Burke announced on Thursday that the 2026 Mets season will be his final in the radio booth.

Rose was the TV voice of the Islanders for 20 years (1995-2016), working with Joe Michelleti, Billy Jaffe, and Butch Goring. His call of John Tavares’ 2OT winner in Game 6 against the Florida Panthers was his final call for the Islanders as they advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

📚 SOUND SMART: Per NHL PR, Matthew Schaefer became the second 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history to record 50 points in a season, following Phil Housley (57 in 1982-83). In doing so, he became the fourth Islanders rookie defenseman to record 50 points in a season. Schaefer (21-29—50 in 69 GP) became the fourth active blueliner to hit 50 career points before their 70th contest, following Cale Makar (57 GP), Lane Hutson (63 GP) and Quinn Hughes (64 GP).

🎥 ISLES REWIND: One of the few bright spots for the 2000-01 Islanders that finished with an NHL-worse 52 points came on March 20, 2001, in St. Louis. Defenseman Roman Hamrlik scored 23 seconds into overtime as the Islanders ruined Al MacInnis’ return with a 4-3 victory over the 103-point-bound Blues.

Todd Reirden made an errant pass behind his own net that was intercepted by Mariusz Czerkawski, who found Hamrlik in the slot, where he wristed a shot past Roman Turek and just inside the right goalpost for his 14th goal of the season

📺 New York Islanders Postgame Availability | NYI at OTT

🔗 Islanders’ Mathew Barzal reveals secret behind his improved play by Ethan Sears, New York Post “If you want to understand how Mathew Barzal’s game has evolved over the years, and the ways in which his teammates have helped enable what might quietly be the best season of his career, there are worse places to start than Emil Heineman’s goal against Toronto on Tuesday night.”

🔗 Islanders officially moving AHL affiliate from Bridgeport to Ontario by Andrew Gross, Newsday “The Islanders have had their AHL affiliate in Bridgeport since the AHL granted the city an expansion team in 2001. The team was known as the Sound Tigers until 2021, when it was renamed the Islanders. The Islanders purchased the Bridgeport club in 2004. Bridgeport was the Islanders’ seventh AHL affiliate city — and its longest served — since they joined the NHL in 1972.”

And we leave you with this…what a SAVE BY SOUCY!

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Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country

The Islanders said it out loud after Tuesday night’s 3–1 win in Toronto. Yes, they’re scoreboard watching. Of course they are. At this point in the season, you’d have to be lying — or completely detached — not to be. Every out-of-town score matters. Every final horn in another city feels like it either helps or hurts. That’s life in a playoff race with no margin for error.

But in the next breath, they made something else clear: the focus remains on what’s directly in front of them. The next game. The next shift. Thursday night against Ottawa. It’s a delicate balance, managing what you can control while keeping one eye on everything else unfolding around you.

And the truth is, the fan base is living that same balance in real time.

Because while Islanders fans are refreshing standings pages and doing the nightly math, they’re also doing something a little less tangible and a lot more fun. They’re enjoying this. Fully. Maybe more than anyone expected back in October.

This season wasn’t supposed to feel like this. It wasn’t supposed to pull people in the way it has. But here we are, hanging on every game, and multiple games happening around the Eastern Conference (Pittsburgh’s 6-5 OT loss to Carolina being a prime example)

At the same time, it’s impossible not to think about what’s coming next.

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Hockey Night in NY

Good Morning, Islanders Country.

During a playoff push, the games start to feel heavier.

Every night, you’re checking the standings. Every scoreboard update feels personal. The teams around you never seem to lose, even when they’re facing the kind of opponents you’re quietly hoping will slow them down. And every Islanders game — lately, anyway — seems to wring every ounce of emotion out of you before the final horn.

So sometimes, what you really need is something simple.

Something tidy.

Maybe even something… boring.

And that’s exactly what the Islanders delivered Tuesday night in Toronto.

Wearing their home blues on the road against the green-and-white Maple Leafs, the Islanders did something they haven’t always done this season: they took control early and never really gave it back. Two first-period power-play goals set the tone, the kind of efficient start that calms a game down before it has a chance to turn chaotic.

Toronto trimmed the lead to one at one point, but the game never quite felt like it was slipping away. The Islanders were structured. Composed. Comfortable, even. When they pushed the lead to 3–1 heading into the final 20 minutes, the game had the feel of a night where the script wasn’t going to change.

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Hockey Night in NY

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Islanders Country 🍀

There’s an old line in sports — one that usually gets tossed around this time of year with a wink and a shrug: it’s better to be lucky than good.

And on St. Patrick’s Day, it feels especially appropriate.

Because if you’ve watched the Islanders this season, you know there have been moments when a little puck luck seemed to follow them around the ice. Strange, wonderful nights where things that usually go wrong somehow go right. You don’t go 10–0 in overtime without a little luck riding shotgun.

But luck only takes you so far in the NHL. Eventually, the calendar tightens, the standings compress, and every team around you starts playing like the season depends on it — because it does.

That’s where the Islanders find themselves now.

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