Puck drop: 8:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. CT)
Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee
TV: MSGSN2 (Islanders), SCRIPPS / Scripps Sports (Predators); SN+ / ESPN+ in many markets
Both teams enter with 12 points. The Islanders are coming off a 6-3 loss in Dallas that snapped a five-game point streak, while the Predators look to build on a 6-2 home win over Colorado in which they scored four power-play goals. This is the first of two meetings this season.
Current Player Rosters & Projected Lineups
New York Islanders (projected; 11 forwards / 7 defensemen expected):
Forwards: Simon Holmstrom – Bo Horvat – Kyle Palmieri; Emil Heineman – Brayden Schenn – Victor Eklund; Ondrej Palat – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Anthony Duclair; Casey Cizikas – Mitchell Chaffee.
Defense: Matthew Schaefer – Ryan Pulock; Adam Pelech – Tony DeAngelo; Logan Stanley – Matthew Kessel; Scott Mayfield (returning to the lineup).
Goalies: Ilya Sorokin / Semyon Varlamov (reports vary on starter; Sorokin has the stronger early numbers and most recent workload, though some projections lean Varlamov). Scratch: Kyle MacLean. Bo Horvat leads the team in scoring.
Nashville Predators (projected):
Forwards: Steven Stamkos – Ryan O’Reilly (with wing support); Filip Forsberg – Alexander Kerfoot – Mavrik Bourque; Nils Hoglander – Matthew Wood – Jonathan Marchessault; Ross Colton – Jack Drury – Adam Edstrom.
Defense: Roman Josi – Adam Wilsby; Nicolas Hague – Jayden Struble; Brady Skjei – Nick Perbix; Daemon Hunt.
Goalies: Juuse Saros (expected) / Justus Annunen. Scratches typically include Ilya Lyubushkin, Vitali Pinchuk, and Reid Schaefer. Roman Josi, Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly, and Filip Forsberg form the core.
Listed Injury Reports
Islanders:
Mathew Barzal (C): Out (knee; skating on his own, no firm return timeline).
Matias Maccelli (LW/F): Out/IR (lower body; placed retroactive to Oct. 17, expected weeks).
Calum Ritchie (C/F): Out/IR (lower body; placed retroactive to Oct. 17, longer-term).
Alexander Romanov (D): Out (torn right ACL; long-term/season-ending).
Predators:
William Trudeau (D): Out (upper body).
Scott Mayfield returns for New York after missing time.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Bo Horvat / Simon Holmstrom / Kyle Palmieri vs. Roman Josi and Nashville’s top defense: Horvat’s two-way game and net-front presence against Josi’s elite all-around play and the Predators’ structured pairs.
Steven Stamkos / Ryan O’Reilly / Filip Forsberg vs. Islanders’ top pairs (Schaefer-Pulock or Pelech): Nashville’s high-end scorers and veteran centers testing New York’s defensive structure and penalty kill.
Secondary scoring depth (Schenn, Eklund, Pageau, Duclair) vs. Predators’ middle six: Both sides rely on secondary contributions amid injuries.
Goaltending – Ilya Sorokin (strong early: ~2.26 GAA, .919 SV%) vs. Juuse Saros (~2.82 GAA, .908 SV%): Sorokin has been excellent; Saros has a strong historical record against the Islanders.
Special teams: Predators hold a significant PP edge (~33% early vs. Islanders’ ~18%). Both PKs rank highly (~85–86%). Faceoffs slightly favor New York.
Recent Team Forms
Islanders (5-4-2): Alternating results overall but rode a five-game point streak before the loss in Dallas. Strong defensive metrics early (low goals against). Road form mixed (1-3-1 in some tallies). Averaging roughly 2.9 GF/G.
Predators (4-3-4): Inconsistent but showed offensive firepower with the 6-2 win over Colorado (strong PP night). Capable of high-output games at home. Averaging around 2.8 GF/G. Looking for consecutive wins for the first time this season.
Series History
First meeting of 2026-27. Nashville holds a strong all-time edge (26-10-3 overall, excellent home record vs. Islanders) and has dominated recent head-to-heads (8-2-0 in last 10, 5-0-0 in last five at Bridgestone Arena).
Betting Trends
Trends favor Nashville at home and on the power play. Islanders’ defensive structure and goaltending keep the total low and the underdog attractive with the +1.5 cushion.
Game Odds
New York Islanders 5.5
Nashville Predators – 117
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Monday, October 26, 2026
