Isles Day-to-Day: Practice Updates Oct. 24, 2026

The New York Islanders hit the ice for practice at Northwell Health Ice Center ahead of the team's three-game Western Conference road trip.

See below for lines, quotes, photos and interviews.

Simon Holmström – Bo Horvat – Kyle Palmieri
Emil Heineman – Brayden Schenn – Victor Eklund
Ondřej Palát – JG Pageau – Anthony Duclair
Kyle MacLean – Casey Cizikas – Mitchell Chaffee 

Logan Stanley – Matthew Schaefer 
Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock
Matt Kessel – Tony DeAngelo
Scott Mayfield  

Ilya Sorokin
Semyon Varlamov

Islanders Head Coach Pete DeBoer said injured Islanders Mathew Barzal, Cal Ritchie and Matias Maccelli will not travel with the team on their upcoming road trip.

ISLES HITTING THE ROAD

The Islanders are heading west for a three-game trip that kicks off on Sunday in Dallas. 

The matchup will be Pete DeBoer's first game back in Dallas since serving as the Stars' Head Coach from 2022-25. DeBoer has coached against former teams before, so this won't be his first rodeo.

"I've done this a few times, a few different spots. Your first game back is always a little special," DeBoer said. "You know a lot of people you spent a lot of time with and worked with and players. It was a great chapter in my coaching career, but I'm now coaching the Islanders and focused on that. So it'll be nice to go back, but not spending a lot of time on it."

Brayden Schenn saw plenty of the Stars during his eight years with St. Louis and said the Isles can expect a good test against a good defensive team. Dallas currently leads the NHL with 1.60 GA/GP, while the Isles are third at 2.20.

"Every time you go in there, it's hard, heavy hockey," Schenn said of Dallas. "Not much room on both sides when you go in there. They're obviously a good team that plays the right way with details and structure. And on top of all the talent they have, they play a really good team game, and that's what we got to expect."

DEBOER ON SCHENN RETURNING TO CENTER

 Schenn has moved back to center following a lower-body injury to Ritchie that will see the young center miss 4-6 weeks.  

Schenn has played two straight games centering two Swedes, Emil Heineman and Victor Eklund.  

"Schenn's done a good job," DeBoer said. "I think he's a natural center. He's played in the middle for his whole career. The way we play, we don't change much. So, whether you line up in center doesn't necessarily mean playing center all over the ice, so I think he has played some center even with Ritchie when Ritchie was there. But it's a nice luxury to have a veteran guy that you know when you have a problem there because you know next to goaltending and you know it's probably the toughest spot to fill and feel comfortable and trust as a coach because there's a lot of responsibility comes with that job."  

The line connected for the opening goal in the Isles' overtime loss on Thursday night. Eklund scored his second goal in as many games.  

"That Eklund, Schenn, Heineman line was the best for us analytically and by the eye test," DeBoer said of the line's performance against the Kings. "I think when you're winning games and we pick up points in four in a row here or something like that, I think it's a different line every night kind of steps up. You got to have a couple lines going. So, it was nice for them to really carry the bulk last game for us, because some other lines have done it on some different nights."