- Oct 16, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Photo: Tdorante10 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Team logos via ESPN.
The New York Islanders enter Tuesday's game against the Anaheim Ducks with a 4-3-1 record and 9 points through 8 games, just shy of the 10 percent season mark. They trail the Washington Capitals by one point for third place in the Metropolitan Division, though both clubs have played eight contests. The Islanders also sit one point behind the Buffalo Sabres, who have played nine games, for the final wild-card berth. By points percentage, New York would qualify for the postseason if the schedule ended today.
The division features significant instability in net. The New York Rangers hold a four-point lead over the Islanders but lost Igor Shesterkin for the remainder of the year to a lower-body injury. The club will rely on rookie Dylan Garand and journeyman Spencer Martin until Joonas Korpisalo's expected return in mid-November.
New Jersey Devils netminders Jake Allen and Nico Daws have drawn scrutiny. An analyst noted of the Devils, "It's hard to see a path to true contention unless they make a massive in-season trade for a goalie."
Ilya Sorokin has emerged as the division's standout goaltender, with Logan Thompson representing the only healthy netminder approaching his level.
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).