Puck Drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET
Venue: UBS Arena, Elmont, New York
TV/Streaming: MSGSN (Islanders market), The Spot (Lightning market); also available on ESPN+ / DAZN options
The Tampa Bay Lightning visit the New York Islanders in a Metropolitan-Atlantic matchup. Tampa Bay is riding a three-game winning streak after a successful homestand, while the Islanders look to build on a solid home win and navigate key absences.
Current Projected Rosters / Line Combinations
Tampa Bay Lightning
Forwards
Gage Goncalves – Brayden Point – Nikita Kucherov
Jake Guentzel – Anthony Cirelli – Brandon Hagel
Ilya Mikheyev – Zemgus Girgensons – Pontus Holmberg
Jeffrey Viel – Conor Geekie Defense
J.J. Moser – John Carlson
Ryan McDonagh – Erik Cernak
Victor Hedman – Charle-Edouard D’Astous / Max Crozier Goaltenders
Projected starter: Andrei Vasilevskiy (expected after optional skate; Dennis Hildeby as backup).
New York Islanders
Forwards
Emil Heineman – Bo Horvat – Kyle Palmieri
Brayden Schenn – Cal Ritchie – Victor Eklund
Simon Holmström – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Anthony Duclair
Ondřej Palát – Casey Cizikas – Matias Maccelli Defense
Logan Stanley – Matthew Schaefer
Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock
Tony DeAngelo – Scott Mayfield Goaltenders
Projected starter: Ilya Sorokin (confirmed lean from morning skate; Semyon Varlamov as backup).
Injury / Availability Reports
Lightning
Yanni Gourde (C, hip) — IR; expected out until early December.
Emil Lilleberg (D, undisclosed) — Out; expected back around Oct. 13.
Dominic James (hand) — Reassigned / sidelined.
Islanders
Mathew Barzal (C, knee) — IR; skated recently but not yet ready.
Alexander Romanov (D, torn right ACL) — Out 6-8 months after surgery.
Bo Horvat (C, upper body) — Day-to-day; full participant in morning skate and expected to play after exiting the previous game late.
Recent Team Forms
Lightning (3-1-0): Strong rebound after an opening loss at the Rangers (1-5). Three straight home wins: vs. Washington (3-1), vs. Philadelphia (4-1), and vs. Minnesota (3-2), with John Carlson scoring twice in the latest victory and Nikita Kucherov contributing consistently. Solid early defensive metrics and goaltending depth. Road record 0-1-0.
Islanders (2-2-0): Mixed start with strong home performances. Losses at Toronto (1-2) and at Rangers (2-5); wins vs. New Jersey (6-0) and vs. Chicago (4-1), where Bo Horvat scored twice and Ilya Sorokin was excellent. Strong early goaltending and home form (2-0-0). Key absences on the blue line and at center create challenges.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Nikita Kucherov / Brayden Point / Jake Guentzel vs. Islanders defense (Stanley-Schaefer, Pelech-Pulock): Tampa’s high-end skill against a depleted but physical Islanders blue line.
Bo Horvat / Kyle Palmieri / Emil Heineman vs. Lightning top pairs (Moser-Carlson, McDonagh-Cernak): Islanders’ top line testing Tampa’s structure.
Special teams: Lightning looking to improve a slow power-play start; Islanders have shown early PP production.
Goaltending duel: Andrei Vasilevskiy vs. Ilya Sorokin — two elite netminders in what could be a lower-event game.
Depth and physicality: Islanders’ bottom-six grind vs. Tampa’s speed and skill.
Series History
Tampa Bay holds a historical edge overall, but the Islanders have won recent meetings (including the last few). Games have often been tight and competitive. First meeting of the 2026-27 season.
Betting Trends
Tampa Bay is a moderate road favorite based on form and talent, though Islanders’ home ice and Sorokin keep the line relatively tight. Models give the Lightning roughly 58% win probability.
Game Odds
Tampa Bay Lightning – 175
New York Islanders 5.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, October 9, 2026
