Welcome back to another Vancouver Canucks 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 New Jersey Devils. Today, let’s preview their season matchups against the New York Islanders.
2024–25 Season Stats
Team Stats:
Record: 35–35–12
Points: 82
Standings placement: 6th in Metropolitan Division
PP%: 12.6% (31st)
PK%: 72.2% (31st)
Goals:
Anders Lee (29)
Bo Horvat (28)
Kyle Palmieri (24)
Simon Holmstrom (20)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (14)
Assists:
Bo Horvat (29)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (28)
Anders Lee / Simon Holmstrom / Maxim Tsyplakov (25)
Kyle Palmieri (24)
Adam Pelech (21)
Points:
Bo Horvat (57)
Anders Lee (54)
Kyle Palmieri (48)
Simon Holmstrom (45)
Jean-Garbiel Pageau (42)
Goaltenders:
Ilya Sorokin
Record: 30–24–6
GAA: 2.71
SV%: .907
SO: 4
Points: 1G 2A
Semyon Varlamov
Record: 3–4–3
GAA: 2.89
SV%: .889
SO: N/A
Points: N/A
Marcus Hogberg
Record: 2–6–3
GAA: 3.38
SV%: .878
SO: N/A
Points: N/A
2025 Free Agency Rundown
The 2025 off-season was kind to the Islanders, who ended up with the first overall selection in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft after winning the lottery back in May. Adding to their youth-powered movement, they traded defenceman Noah Dobson to the Montréal Canadiens in exchange for Emil Heineman and two 2025 first-round picks. With three first-round selections, the Islanders added first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer, Victor Eklund, and Kashawn Aitcheson to their organization. They further cemented their depth on the blueline by signing Alexander Romanov to an eight-year extension and adding former Canuck Ethan Bear.
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2025–26 Season Series Preview
For a while, the Islanders were one of those teams that was stuck between a youth movement and strong veteran presence. However, after trading Brock Nelson and parting ways with the retiring Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck, the team suddenly has the option to dip into their younger assets. Players such as Calum Ritchie, Maxim Shabanov, and Marc Gatcomb look to cement full-time roles with the team in 2025–26. Another thing that will be on the Islanders’ minds is captain Anders Lee’s contract, which expires at the end of this upcoming season. While Lee is still an effective player, having led his team in goals scored in 2024–25, he will also be 36 by the time his current deal ends.
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.
2025–26 Games Against Vancouver
Game 1: December 19, 4:00 pm PT @ UBS Arena
Game 2: January 19, 7:00 pm PT @ Rogers Arena
Season Series Preview Articles
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