The New York Islanders (16-10-3) head to South Florida riding a three-game win streak, including a gritty 2-0 shutout at Tampa Bay on Saturday, as they aim to extend their strong road form (9-4-1) against a slumping Florida Panthers squad (13-12-2). The Panthers, fresh off a chaotic 7-6 overtime thriller against Columbus on Saturday, have dropped four straight before that win, struggling at 4-6-0 on the road but holding a middling 9-6-2 mark at home. This Metropolitan-Atlantic matchup at Amerant Bank Arena features the Islanders’ stingy defense (2.47 GA/G) clashing with Florida’s opportunistic attack (3.07 GF/G), but injuries have ravaged both rosters—particularly the Panthers’ star power up front. New York looks to build on their third-place standing in the Metro, while Florida fights to stay above .500 in the loaded Atlantic.
Game Details
Puckdrop: 5:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, Florida (capacity: 19,250)
Broadcast: MSGSN (Islanders), SCRIPPS (Panthers), SN, ESPN+
This back-to-back finale for both teams caps a busy weekend, with the Islanders wrapping a Florida road trip and the Panthers kicking off a five-game homestand. The Sunrise crowd will be electric, but fatigue could lead to a low-scoring affair given New York’s elite goaltending.
Injury Report
Injuries are decimating both lineups, with Florida missing nearly their entire top-six forward core and key blue-liners, forcing heavy minutes on depth pieces. The Islanders’ absences hit their bottom-six and backup net, but Ilya Sorokin has shouldered the load admirably.
| Team | Player | Position | Status | Injury | Estimated Return | Notes |
| New York Islanders | Jean-Gabriel Pageau | C | Day-to-Day (Possible) | Upper Body | December 7 | Missed 7 games; full participant in morning skate Saturday—could return to center third line. |
| New York Islanders | Jonathan Drouin | LW | Day-to-Day | Back | December 9 | Late scratch Thursday; did not travel to Florida—monitor for activation. |
| New York Islanders | Kyle Palmieri | RW | Injured Reserve | Knee | September 15, 2026 | Long-term; 6G-5A in 15GP before injury; major scoring depth loss. |
| New York Islanders | Pierre Engvall | LW | Injured Reserve (LTIR) | Ankle | January 2026 | Out since November; 4G-6A in 20GP. |
| New York Islanders | Alexander Romanov | D | Injured Reserve | Shoulder (Surgery) | March 2026 | 5-6 months sidelined; key shutdown defender (23:15 TOI/GP). |
| New York Islanders | Ethan Bear | D | Injured Reserve | Undisclosed | December 14 | Depth piece; no games played this season. |
| New York Islanders | Semyon Varlamov | G | Injured Reserve | Knee | January 2026 | Backup; Ilya Sorokin (10-8-2, .912 SV%) starts back-to-back. |
| Florida Panthers | Aleksander Barkov | C | Out | Knee | January 2026 | Captain missed 26 games; 5G-12A in 10GP before injury—huge void on top line. |
| Florida Panthers | Matthew Tkachuk | LW | Out | Groin | December 15 | Missed 26 games; skating but no contact—14G-15A last season’s pace disrupted. |
| Florida Panthers | Tomas Nosek | LW | Injured Reserve | Knee | January 4 | Missed 26 games; bottom-six grinder essential for faceoffs (52%). |
| Florida Panthers | Dmitry Kulikov | D | Out | Upper Body (Surgery) | March 2026 | Missed 23 games; veteran leader (22:45 TOI/GP); 0P in 2GP return attempt. |
| Florida Panthers | Jonah Gadjovich | LW | Injured Reserve | Upper Body | December 18 | Missed 15 games; physical enforcer (102 PIM projected). |
| Florida Panthers | Eetu Luostarinen | C | Out | Lower Body | December 10 | Week-to-week; missed 7 games—versatile two-way center. |
| Florida Panthers | Cole Schwindt | RW | Injured Reserve | Arm | January 12 | Missed 6 games; 2G in 10GP—young depth forward. |
Impact: Florida’s absences (127 man-games lost) cripple their offense (down to 3.07 GF/G from 3.23 last year), leaning on Sam Reinhart (14G). Islanders’ D is thin without Romanov, but Sorokin’s .912 SV% masks it.
Key Player Matchups
With stars sidelined, this boils down to depth battles and goaltending. The Islanders’ structured play could exploit Florida’s depleted lines, but the Panthers’ home rush remains dangerous.
Bo Horvat (NYI, C) vs. Sam Reinhart (FLA, C): Horvat (17G-12A-29P in 29GP) leads NYI with 5G in last 10, centering the top line—expect heavy minutes vs. Reinhart (14G-10A-24P), who’s carried Florida sans Barkov/Tkachuk. Edge: Horvat—better two-way game.
Mathew Barzal (NYI, C) vs. Brad Marchand (FLA, LW): Barzal (8G-13A-21P) thrives on speed (21:03 TOI); Marchand (15G-12A-27P) brings agitator energy but -9 rating exposes Florida’s chaos. Edge: Barzal—quicker, less penalties.
Matthew Schaefer (NYI, D) vs. Gustav Forsling (FLA, D): Schaefer (8G-12A-20P) logs 23:29 TOI as NYI’s breakout star; Forsling anchors Florida’s depleted blue (team-high +5). Edge: Even—Forsling’s positioning vs. Schaefer’s offense.
Goalie Duel: Ilya Sorokin (NYI) vs. Sergei Bobrovsky (FLA): Sorokin (10-8-2, 2.47 GAA, .912 SV%) shines in back-to-backs (7-3-1); Bobrovsky (10-8-1, 2.83 GAA, .886 SV%) struggles lately (1-4 in last 5). Edge: Sorokin—elite road form.
Projected Lines (Subject to change):
Islanders: Heineman-Horvat-Shabanov | Lee-Barzal-Tsyplakov | Clutterbuck-Dobson-Palmieri (if active) | Pelech-Toews | Reilly-Dobson
Panthers: Verhaeghe-Bennett-Barker | Marchand-Reinhart-Bobkov | Luostarinen-Stolarz-Forsling (if active) | Ekblad-Salminen | Schmidt-Balinskis
Team Records and Standings
| Team | Record | Points | Goal Diff. | Home/Away | Division Rank |
| New York Islanders | 16-10-3 | 35 | +12 | 7-6-2 Home / 9-4-1 Away | 3rd Metro |
| Florida Panthers | 13-12-2 | 28 | -5 | 9-6-2 Home / 4-6-0 Away | 7th Atlantic |
Islanders rank top-5 in GA/G (2.47) and PK (82.1%); Panthers mid-pack in GF/G (3.07) but leaky defensively (3.26 GA/G, 24th PK at 78.5%).
Recent Team Forms
The Islanders are surging with shutdown wins, while Florida’s inconsistency shows in a skid broken only by Saturday’s barnburner.
Islanders Last 5 Games (3-2-0):
| Date | Opponent | Result | Key Notes |
| Dec. 6 | @ TBL | W 2-0 | Sorokin 29 saves for shutout; Horvat GWG. |
| Dec. 4 | vs. COL | W 6-3 | Offensive outburst; Barzal 2A. |
| Dec. 2 | vs. TBL | W 2-1 | Strong PK (3/3); timely goals. |
| Nov. 30 | vs. WSH | L 4-1 | Defensive breakdown; Sorokin pulled. |
| Nov. 28 | vs. PHI | L 4-3 (SO) | Shootout loss; 38 SOG. |
Panthers Last 5 Games (1-4-0):
| Date | Opponent | Result | Key Notes |
| Dec. 6 | vs. CBJ | W 7-6 (OT) | Wild comeback; Reinhart hat trick. |
| Dec. 4 | vs. NSH | L 1-2 | Bobrovsky .907 SV%; low-event loss. |
| Dec. 2 | vs. TOR | L 1-5 | Defensive collapse; 28 SOG allowed. |
| Nov. 28 | vs. CGY | L 3-5 | Secondary scoring absent. |
| Nov. 26 | vs. PHI | L 2-4 | PP woes (0/3); Ekblad -2. |
Islanders 6-3-1 last 10 (1.6 GA/G); Panthers 4-5-1 (3.3 GA/G).
Series History
These Atlantic-Metro foes have met 124 times (regular season + playoffs), with Florida holding a 62-45-8-9 edge overall (53.2% win rate). In regular season alone, it’s 59-38-8-9 for the Panthers (55.3%). Recent form favors Florida: 7-3 in last 10, including 6-3 wins on Feb. 2 and Oct. 26, 2025. Islanders lead at home (32-18-6-5) but struggle in Sunrise (30-27-2-4 all-time). Playoff history: Panthers 3-7 vs. NYI, but no recent meetings.
Betting Trends
Puck Line: NYI covers 70% as road dogs.
Total (O/U): Under 5-0 in Islanders’ last 5 road games; 4-1 Under for Panthers last 5 home.
Trends: Islanders 8-2 SU last 10 road; Panthers 1-4 SU last 5 overall. Florida 8-2 in last 10 H2H, but NYI 4-1 as +140 or longer dogs. Sharp on Islanders ML due to Florida’s man-games lost.
Game Odds
New York Islanders 6.5
Florida Panthers – 170
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Saturday, December 6, 2025
