2025-26 New York Islanders: A Season Full of Iconic Moments
Two months ago, the New York Islanders were on the top of the hockey world.
Matthew Schaefer was the most exciting young player in the sport. Ilya Sorokin was a lock to win the Vezina Trophy. Patrick Roy was leading his squad back to the playoffs.
But then it all came crashing down. The Islanders lost 1o of their final 14 games, a collapse that soured an otherwise entertaining and promising 2025-26 season.
Sure, it would be easy to focus on the final 14 games and be angry about the bad trades, the missed opportunities, the blown leads, the tragic losses. Sure, it would be easy to worry about where the team goes from here, entering a crucial offseason with limited roster flexibility and salary cap space.
The next few months are critical for the future of the New York Islanders. But before the offseason truly gets underway, now is a good time to go month by month and reflect on all the amazing moments from this season. And there were certainly a lot of them.
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October
Schaefer started the season with a bang on Oct. 9, assisting on the Islanders’ first goal of the season, a first-period tally by Jonathan Drouin. That became a theme this season. Schaefer’s six-game point streak (two goals and five assists) to begin the season tied Marek Zidlicky (2003-04) for the longest season-opening point streak by a rookie defenseman in NHL history.
In their second game of the season, the Islanders lost 4-2 to the Capitals on Oct. 11. But nobody will remember that. Everyone will remember Schaefer scoring his first career NHL goal, diving into the crease like Superman and poking a loose puck into the net. UBS Arena chanted his name as the goal was reviewed for a hand pass.
While the Islanders lost their first three outings, their first win was worth the wait. On national television, Bo Horvat scored a short-handed goal, power-play goal and empty-net goal to lead the Islanders over the Oilers 4-2 on Oct. 16. This also was David Rittich’s first victory with the Islanders.
Two nights later on Oct. 18, Anders Lee had two goals, including the game-winner with 1:03 left in regulation, to give the Islanders their first road win of the season, a 5-4 triumph in Ottawa.
After a win over the Sharks on Oct. 21, one of the most paramount moments of the season took place on Oct. 23. Leading the Red Wings 7-2 late in the third period, Mason Appleton went after Schaefer, and the Islanders made a statement. The five players wearing blue on the ice charged Appleton and backed up their No. 1 overall pick, making something abundantly clear: Mess with Schafer and pay the price.
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November
November started off with a bang, a Schaefer showcase that left UBS Arena speechless. Schaefer and Simon Holmstrom scored 29 seconds apart late in the third period to stun the Blue Jackets 3-2 on Nov. 2, helping the Islanders improve to 6-5-1. The 18-year-old became the youngest defenseman to record a multi-goal game in this contest.
The Islanders lost their next two games and fans started to worry heading into a season-long seven-game road trip. But this team showed why they were a resilient bunch.
They went 6-1 on the voyage, beating the Rangers, Devils, Golden Knights, Mammoth, Stars and Red Wings. They shut out their New York rivals, earned thrilling overtime victories in New Jersey (Mathew Barzal), Nevada (Jean-Gabriel Pageau) and Utah (Schaefer), won a controversial contest in Dallas and ended the trip by blowing out Detroit, thanks to a two-goal performance by Max Shabanov.
Returning home for a season-long seven-game homestand, it was becoming clear this season was different. And a Nov. 28 game against the Flyers was another reason why.
While the Islanders lost, one of the most stunning things to ever happen in a hockey game took place in Elmont during this divisional battle.
In the second period, Kyle Palmieri suffered an injury behind the play and was slow to get up. Making his way back to the bench, Palmieri stole the puck, dished a beautiful backhand saucer pass to Drouin, who found Emil Heinemann for a goal. Once Palmieri was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL, it was clear this truly was one of the most of the most legendary, iconic and impressive assists in NHL history.
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December
The Islanders kicked off December by ending a rival’s seven-game winning streak. Bo Horvat and Anthony Duclair scored to lead the blue and orange past the Lightning 2-1 on Dec. 2, snapping a three-game skid of the own.
Two nights later, the best team in the NHL came to town and the Islanders didn’t flinch. Barzal had a goal and two assists as the home team took down the Avalanche 6-2, snapping Colorado’s 17-game point streak and spoiling Brock Nelson’s return to Long Island.
On a day where Pat LaFontaine became the 17th inductee into the team’s Hall of Fame, the Islanders honored the franchise great by earning another huge win over the Lightning on Dec. 13. Emil Heineman, a player you simply do not trade, scored the shootout winner, sending a sold-out UBS Arena into a frenzy.
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The Islanders bookended Christmas with wins over two rivals. Adam Pelech scored a late regulation goal to lead New York over New Jersey 2-1 on Dec. 23 and the Islanders shut out the Rangers at home four nights later.
Wins over the Rangers, Devils (and Maple Leafs) were a common trend this season. The Islanders swept New York, New Jersey and Toronto, outscoring them 43-14 in 11 games.
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January
Perhaps the best moment of the 2025-26 season came on Jan. 3. Anyone who was at this game knows exactly why. What Schaefer did on this Saturday evening — on Hockey Night in Canada, no less — truly was special, creating a memory fans will remember forever.
Schaefer scored twice, including at 4:11 of overtime, in a memorable 4-3 win over the Maple Leafs, stealing the spotlight from Auston Matthews, who broke Toronto’s franchise goal record that night.
Three nights later, the Islanders gave their home crowd another lifelong memory, scoring a whopping nine goals in a 9-0 win over the Devils. Anthony Duclair recorded a hat trick for the first time in more than six years, joining Barzal, Simon Holmstrom, Casey Cizikas, Tony DeAngelo and Cal Ritchie as the goal-scorers. Sorokin made 44 saves in his return from an injury, becoming the franchise’s shutout leader (26). A Devils fan threw their jersey on the ice during the historic loss.
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January featured some other special moments, including an overtime triumph over the Wild on Jan. 10, a shocking 1-0 win over Edmonton on Jan. 15, a 4-3 victory in Vancouver on Jan. 19 and a dominant win over the Flyers on Jan. 26. Duclair was one of the hottest offensive players in hockey with Horvat injured most of the month, recording eight goals, five assists and 13 points in January.
And of course, how could we forgot about one of the juiciest parts of the season? The Islanders ended their month with wins over the Rangers on Jan. 28 and Jan. 29, competing a season sweep and following through on Schaefer’s draft-night promise.
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February
The Milan-Cortina 2026 Olympic Games stole the show in February, but that doesn’t mean the Islanders didn’t steal the show themselves.
Their month featured three overtime victories: the “Rally Bird” game on Feb. 5 against the Penguins, a thrilling comeback in Montreal on Feb. 26 and another come-from-behind win in Columbus two nights later.
The Islanders entered March with a 34-21-5 record, tied for second in the Metropolitan Division and comfortably in a postseason position. Vibes were high. Hope was abundant. Nobody expected what would come next.
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March
This was the month where things started to go downhill. A March 19 loss to the Senators in Ottawa started the downfall, and the Islanders were never the same, unable to recover and stop the bleeding.
However, March wasn’t all bad. The month started with a shocking win over the Panthers on March 1, featuring another unlikely Lee goal in the final minute. Schaefer had two more goals in a game that put the nail in the coffin of Florida’s chances of winning their third straight Stanley Cup title.
After beating the Panthers, the Islanders embarked on a four-game road trip, dropping their first two games in Los Angeles and Anaheim. Things got back on track in San Jose on March 7 when Bo Horvat scored an overtime winner, giving Brayden Schenn a win in his team debut.
Three nights later in St. Louis, Barzal put the cherry on top of a three-goal comeback, scoring just over two minutes into overtime to help the Islanders improve to 10-0 in the extra frame this season.
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April
There was not much to celebrate in April. The Islanders went 1-5, fired their beloved head coach and missed playoffs for the second consecutive season. A campaign filled with so much promise and so much hope ended in heartbreak.
However, this doesn’t mean the 2025-26 season was a waste. There were so many fantastic, historic, iconic memories made. Schaefer and company proved that anything is possible for the New York Islanders, and the future is very, vert bright with the 18-year-old leading the way.
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Featured image of New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer celebrating his overtime goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Jan. 3 courtesy of Corey Sipkin/The New York Post
