A high-stakes showdown in Ontario pits top picks Matthew Schaefer and Gavin McKenna against each other as Matias Maccelli returns to face his former Toronto teammates.
On Thursday, the New York Islanders released their 2026-27 regular season schedule.
While the Islanders will host the New Jersey Devils for their home opener on Oct. 3, the Blue & Orange will begin the season on the road for the second straight year, facing the Toronto Maple Leafs in Ontario on Oct. 1.
Puck drop is slated for 7:30 PM ET.
Toronto hosts the Montreal Canadiens on Sept. 29, so this will be their second game of the season.
This will be our first look at 2025 first-round pick Matthew Schaefer vs. 2026 first-round pick Gavin McKenna.
The two have known each other for quite some time and we can tell they are good buddies given what we saw at the 2026 NHL Draft:
This will also signify Macias Maccelli's return to Toronto after the Islanders signed him to a one-year, $2.25 million deal following the Maple Leafs' decision not to tender the pending restricted free agent a qualifying offer.
The Islanders went 3-0-0 against the Maple Leafs in 2025-26, outscoring them 12-7.
Schaefer recorded three goals and one assist in those three games. Two of his three goals came against Toronto on Jan 3, scoring the 2-2 equalizer early in the third before burying the overtime winner for a 4-3 win.
Here's the full schedule:
