Game Preview: Islanders vs Panthers

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (34-21-5) VS FLORIDA PANTHERS (30-26-3) 

6:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS 

WATCH/STREAM: ESPN 

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

The New York Islanders are looking to extend their win streak to five games when they host the Florida Panthers at UBS Arena in their first home game since the Olympic break.

The Islanders have rallied back from 2-0 deficits to 4-3 OT wins in each of their last two games, including Saturday’s win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

 Anders Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield potted three straight goals in the second period, and Simon Holmstrom was the overtime hero. Ilya Sorokin denied 27 of the 30 shots.

The Islanders sit third in the Metropolitan Division with 73 points and tied with the second place Pittsburgh Penguins (73 points), though the Pens have two games in-hand.

PROJECTED LINES

Below are the Islanders’ lines from Saturday’s game against the Blue Jackets.

Ondrej Palat – Bo Horvat – Mathew Barzal
Jonathan Drouin – Cal Ritchie – Emil Heineman
Anders Lee – JG Pageau – Simon Holmstrom
Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Marc Gatcomb

Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo
Carson Soucy – Scott Mayfield

RITTICH TO START AGAINST PANTHERS

David Rittich is expected to start in goal against the Panthers on Sunday night.

Rittich made 26 saves in the 4-1 loss to Florida on Dec. 7. He is 12-8-3 with a 2.57 GAA, a .900 SV% and two shutouts this season.

The 33-year-old last started in the 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals on Feb. 2.

BANK ON BARZAL

Mathew Barzal earned a pair of assists in the 4-3 overtime win over the Blue Jackets last time out. Barzal extended his point streak to six games, with 10 points (4G, 6A) in that stretch. It marked the third time he has piled a point streak of five games or more this season.

Barzal leads the Islanders with 54 points (17G, 37A) in the 2025-26 campaign.

OVERTIME OVERDRIVE

The Isles are still perfect (8-0) in overtime this season and have earned three overtime victories in their last four games. Saturday night marked the second time this season that New York notched overtime wins in consecutive games.  Their overtime heroics this season have come from Pageau (2 OTG), Schaefer (2 OTG), Bo Horvat, Barzal and Holmstrom.

The Islanders remain the only team to be unbeaten in overtime across the NHL this season.

SEASON SERIES

This is the second of three games between the Islanders and the Panthers this season.

The Isles are 0-1-0 against Florida and fell 4-1 in Sunrise, Florida on Dec. 7.

PANTHERS NOTES

The Panthers enter Sunday’s contest off a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the Buffalo Sabres. Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett netted goals in the loss.

This is the first game on a crucial four-game road trip for Florida, as they are in the hunt for a playoff spot. The Panthers (63 points) are eight points back of the Boston Bruins (71 points) for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Sergei Bobrovsky will start in net for the Panthers on Sunday night. He wasn’t the starter in the Dec. 7 matchup. Bobrovsky is 22-17-1 with a 3.08 GAA, an 0.874 SV% and three shutouts this season. His three shutouts are tied for the fifth most in the NHL in the 2025-26 campaign. The 37-year-old veteran is 20-11-0 with a 2.12 GAA, a .931 SV% and three shutouts all-time against the Islanders. 

Tkachuk was an alternate captain for the United States of America in their gold medal journey at the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026. The American forward finished with six points (6A) in Milan.

Tkachuk has 10 points (5G, 5A) in 12 games, including goals in back-to-back games for the Panthers this season. He missed the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign with a lower-body injury.

Sam Reinhart leads the Panthers with 56 points this season and is tied with Brad Marchand for the team lead with 27 goals.

Anton Lundell was kept off the scoresheet against Buffalo on Friday night, but has six points (1G, 5A) in four games this month. Lundell ranks fifth on Florida with 42 points (16G, 26A) this season.

Uvis Balinskis (day-to-day) exited Friday’s contest and didn’t return. Balinskis has 63 hits, 37 blocked shots and is tied for third on the Panthers with 22 takeaways this season.

Seth Jones (upper-body, LTIR) hasn’t suited up for Florida since their Jan. 2 loss to the New York Rangers. The former Columbus Blue Jacket leads Panthers defensemen with 24 points (6G, 18A) and ranks fourth on the team with 47 blocked shots this season.

Florida is one of the most physical teams in the NHL and has thrown the second most hits (1,467) through 59 games in season. The only team with more is the New York Rangers (1,523).

The Panthers own the seventh best penalty kill (82.1%) in the NHL this year. Their penalty kill drops to 12^th (75.0%) in February.