The NHL released its regular-season schedule on Wednesday. The Islanders open their 2025-26 campaign on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, October 9th. It will likely be the NHL debut of 2025 first overall pick, Matthew Schafer, who could square off against 2005 first overall pick, Sidney Crosby.
The Islanders begin their home schedule at UBS Arena against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals on Saturday, October 11th.
The Battle of New York: Islanders vs. Rangers
The Rangers swept the four games against the Islanders last season. Their first attempt at revenge is Saturday. November 8th at Madison Square Garden. They first host the Blueshirts on Saturday, January 28th
Back-To-Backs
The schedule features 16 back-to-back games. One of which is against the Rangers (January 28th and 29th). Travel will be involved in 13 of them, including five road back-to-backs. The Islanders have three home back-to-backs. Last season, they went 6-4-2 on the front end and 5-7-0 on the back end.
Afternoon Delights
Matinee games have been a thorn in the side of the Islanders for years. They went 3-5-3 last season. They have 13 afternoon games in 2025-26. The NHL considers games that start before 4pm local time to occur in the afternoon.
Familiar Faces
Brock Nelson’s first trip back to UBS Arena as a visiting player will be December 4th when the Colorado Avalanche face the Islanders. Nelson was traded to the Avalanche on March 9th. Fans will have to be patient for Noah Dobson’s return. The defenseman and the Montreal Canadiens head to UBS Arena on April 12th, the second-to-last regular season game. Dobson was traded to the Habs on June 27th.
Other Schedule Nuggets
Night games at UBS Arena will now start at 7pm. The previous four seasons had games start at 7:30pm. The Islanders have 2 seven game road trips. The first beginning November 8th against the Rangers. They will be able to sleep in their own beds the first two games as the second game on the trip is in Newark against the New Jersey Devils. The rest of the trip incluides games against Vegas, Utah, Colorado, Dallas and Detroit.
The Islanders will not play from February 6th-February 25th due to NHLers participating in the Olympics. UBS Arena will host an Olympic send-off event the weekend of February 6th.
In other news: Eklund Signs ELC
The Islanders have signed Victor Eklund to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday. The 18-year-old was selected 16th overall in June’s NHL Entry Draft. The forward was one of three first-round selections (Matthew Schaefer – 1st, Kashawn Aitcheson – 17th).
Eklund recorded 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists) in 42 games with Djurgårdens of HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden last season. Eklund led all junior players in Allsvenskan in points and goals, and was awarded the Guldgallret, given to the top junior player in the league.
The Stockholm, Sweden native has recorded 35 points (20 goals, 15 assists) in 57 career games with Djurgardens’ Allsvenskan club. He has played in the Djurgardens organization since 2020.
On the international stage, Eklund represented his home country at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, where he tallied six points (two goals, four assists) in seven games, and helped Team Sweden capture a bronze medal at the 2024 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, tallying six points (four goals, two assists) in seven games.
Eklund is expected to return to Sweden for the 2025-26 season. He could join Bridgeport once his season is over. Eklund was the first of the three to sign his ELC. Schafer cannot sign his contract until he turns 18 on September 5th.
