Like the situation that the Devils faced, the Islanders were without forward Mat Barzal for the bulk of the 2024–25 season. He only played in 30 games last year, scoring six goals and 14 assists in this span of time. While Barzal has the potential to be a gamebreaker, he has yet to put together a season on the same level as that of his rookie year in 2017–18. Many fans will be watching him this coming season to see whether he can break that threshold now that he is expected to be healthy.
Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 Season Series Preview: New York Islanders
Welcome back to another <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks">Vancouver Canucks</a> 2025–26 season series preview. In this article series, The Hockey News - Canucks site previews Vancouver’s team series matchups for the season in chronological order. Last time, we looked at what the Canucks will face in the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-jersey-devils/">New Jersey Devils</a>. Today, let’s preview their season matchups against the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/">New York Islanders</a>.