Game Preview: Islanders vs Golden Knights

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (16-11-3) VS VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS (14-6-8)

7 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

WATCH/STREAM: TNT | HBO MAX

LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP

TUNE INTO THE ISLANDERS ALTCAST

The New York Islanders will host the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night. It is the first of a three-game homestand.

The Islanders are coming off a back-to-back weekend in Florida, where they won on the front end and fell in the second half. The team shut out the Lightning 2-0 on Saturday, with Cal Ritchie scoring a power-play goal between his legs and Ilya Sorokin stopping all 32 shots he faced. The Isles fell 4-1 in Sunrise to the Panthers on Sunday.

The Islanders have picked up points against top teams, earning six of a possible eight points in their last four games. They beat the Lightning twice in one week and topped Colorado 6-3 on Thursday at UBS Arena. Tuesday marks the final game in a five-game stretch for the Islanders against teams who have won the Stanley Cup in the last six years.

“Overall, that was a tough schedule,” Head Coach Patrick Roy after Sunday’s loss in Florida. “We played Tampa twice, played Colorado, back-to-back games here. Three out of four, that’s pretty good. We gave ourselves a chance to get back in this game.”

ISLANDERS PROJECTED LINEUP

Here’s how the Islanders lined up against Florida on Sunday. Check back on Tuesday morning to see how the Isles line up for morning skate.

Emil Heineman – Bo Horvat – Simon Holmstrom
Anders Lee – Mathew Barzal – Max Tsyplakov
Max Shabanov – Cal Ritchie – Anthony Duclair
Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Marc Gatcomb

Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo
Travis Mitchell – Scott Mayfield

SOROKIN NAMED NHL’S FIRST STAR OF THE WEEK

Ilya Sorokin was named the NHL’s First Star of the Week on Monday. Sorokin went 3-0-0 with a 1.33 GAA, .960 SV% and one shutout. Those wins came against Tampa Bay twice and Colorado once.

“You know what I love? He looks pretty easy and that’s great goaltending,” Roy said about Sorokin’s performance after the 2-0 win over Tampa Bay. “I remember myself ... if everything looked easy, I knew I was on a good game.”

Sorokin is 10-8-2 with a 2.47 GAA, .912 SV% and three shutouts this season, but since November 1, Sorokin has gone 7-4-1 with a 1.84 GAA, a .934 SV% and three shutouts.

BALLISTIC BARZAL

Matthew Barzal has earned four points (2G, 2A) over the last three games. He currently sits second on the team in scoring with 22 points (9G, 13A) this season, only behind Bo Horvat (29 points).

Barzal scored against Vegas in the team’s previous meeting this season. The 28-year-old has 10 points (6G, 4A) in 13 games against the Golden Knights in his career.

PERFECT PENALTY KILL

The Islanders’ penalty kill is 9-for-9 to start December.. They are one of five franchises, joining the Dallas Stars, Calgary Flames, Minnesota Wild and Golden Knights as the only teams to not allow a power-play goal this month.

The Islanders penalty kill went 5-for-5 against Vegas in the teams’ first meeting.

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders are 1-0-0 against the Golden Knights this season, winning 4-3 in overtime at T-Mobile Arena on Nov. 13. JG Pageau scored the OT winner while the Islanders were shorthanded. The other goals came from Emil Heineman, Matthew Schaefer, and Barzal.

The Islanders are 9-5-1 all-time against the Golden Knights, including 4-2-1 on home ice.

This is the second and final meeting between the Islanders and the Golden Knights this season.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS NOTES

Vegas is coming off a 3-2 OT win over the New York Rangers on Sunday. Jack Eichel netted the overtime winner 4:52 into the extra frame, making it the second-latest overtime goal scored in Golden Knights history, and only one second earlier than the goal Eichel scored on Oct. 30, 2022.

The Golden Knights enter Tuesday night’s contest as winners of their last four games. This win streak comes right after they dropped four straight games between Nov. 22 and Nov. 28.

Eichel leads Vegas with 36 points (12G, 24A) in 28 games this season. Eichel is 11^th in the NHL for points, and his 24 assists are the seventh most by a player in the 2025-26 campaign.

Mark Stone has recorded a point in each of the 12 games he has played this season, including five multi-point games. The last time he played in a game and didn’t tally a point was May 12, 2025 against the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the 2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Shea Theodore (three games), Tomáš Hertl (two games) and Mitch Marner (two games) all enter tonight’s game on point streaks. Theodore leads all Golden Knights defensemen with 18 points (4G, 14A), Hertl leads the team with 13 goals and Marner is second on the team with 27 points (5G, 22A).

Colton Sissons is considered day-to-day (illness). He hasn’t played in a game since Dec. 2 when the Golden Knights beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-3 in the shootout. Sissons has three points (1G, 2A) in 24 games this season.

The Golden Knights’ power play is tied with the Boston Bruins for fifth in the NHL (25.0%). This number slightly dips to 23.7% when on the road. However, this month, Vegas is converting at 40% on the man advantage (2-for-5).

The Golden Knights have been a strong road team this season, posting a 7-2-4 record with one shutout. Vegas hasn't lost to a Metropolitan Division opponent (3-0-0) team since their matchup with the Islanders almost a month ago.

SCHMID TO START FOR THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS

Akira Schmid is expected to start in goal for the Golden Knights tonight. Schmid is 10-2-4 with a 2.35 GAA, .903 SV% and two shutouts to start his fifth season in the NHL. He is 2-2-1 with a 3.55 GAA and .870 SV% in five career games against the Islanders. Schmid has been solid on the road this season, posting a 6-1-1 record, 1.94 GAA, .924 SV% and one shutout.