5 early-season questions facing the Islanders

TORONTO — Seven matches played represents 8.3% of the Islanders’ 84-game schedule.

In other words, it’s still very early.

But as the Islanders conclude a two-game Canadian swing on Saturday night against the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena — their first repeat opponent after opening the season with a 2-1 loss in Toronto — some things are becoming clear:

Defenseman Matthew Schaefer has built upon his superlative rookie season and is playing an even more confident game as a sophomore. Bo Horvat, whose point streak ended at six games in Thursday night’s 2-1 shootout loss to the Senators, clearly was the right choice for right now as the new Islanders captain.

Semyon Varlamov seems capable of being the strong backup to No. 1 goalie Ilya Sorokin the Islanders desperately need, making 18 saves in Ottawa as he returns from two partial knee replacement surgeries.

And the defensive structure has been good, with 17 goals allowed.

But there are many more early-season questions about the Islanders (3-3-1), who have alternated losses and wins through their first seven games.

Here are five:

1. Seriously, what’s up with Mathew Barzal?

The elite-skating top-six forward has been out since Day 1 of training camp with inflammation in his left knee stemming from the kneecap injury he suffered in February 2025 that required surgery. He has been skating on his own but did not join the Islanders on this road trip. The expectations for when Barzal might be available seem to have been pushed back at least a couple of times. The Islanders need a healthy Barzal, who led the team last season with 53 assists and 72 points in 81 games as he managed his knee discomfort, to help their production.

2. Where will the goal production come from?

Coach Pete DeBoer wants to construct a balanced four-line attack and has freely moved some of his forwards up and down the lineup while trying to achieve that. Horvat leads the way with four goals, three on the power play, and seven points. The rest of the team has a combined 16 goals; the Islanders are 24th in the NHL in goals scored. Their goal differential of plus-three speaks to their defense and goaltending.

Still, the Islanders need more production from several players. Simon Holmstrom (one goal, one assist) wound up being dropped to the fourth line and Cal Ritchie (one goal, one assist) did not play the final 11:30 of regulation or in overtime against the Senators.

“He wasn’t the only one,” DeBoer said. “There was a group of guys that fell out. The players make those decisions for me. We had some puck management issues at different points. We took some penalties, which you can’t do on the road.”

Anthony Duclair and defenseman Matt Kessel also were benched midway through the third period. Kyle MacLean — who has yet to play this season — and defenseman Scott Mayfield could be inserted into Saturday’s lineup.

3. Do the Islanders have a road problem?

Again, it’s a ridiculously small sample size, but the Islanders enter Saturday’s game 0-2-1 on the road. As noted, two of those were one-goal games and the other, a 5-2 loss to the Rangers on Oct. 6 at Madison Square Garden, essentially was a one-goal game with two late empty-netters tacked on. Still, getting two points in an away game would help with the team’s overall confidence.

“The start of the game was going to be a little more adapting to playing on the road,” Schaefer said after Thursday’s shootout loss. “Seeing what it feels like after having a little home stretch.”

DeBoer is a big believer in matching lines, which is tougher on the road without the last change.

The Islanders had played three of four at UBS Arena before this road swing, along with the game at the Garden.

4. Will GM Mathieu Darche make a move?

There’s no timetable for Barzal’s return and defenseman Alexander Romanov (right knee) is out for the season. Late addition Logan Stanley (four assists) has done an admirable job, is averaging 19:38 and now is paired with Schaefer. But there was no expectation of Stanley playing on the top pair when he signed on Sept. 27.

There’s been speculation about whether Darche can pry Simon Edvinsson away from the Red Wings or Alexander Nikishin from the Hurricanes. Both restricted free agent defensemen are seeking megadeals.

5. Can the power play continue to make an
impact?

For the Islanders, a 4-for-22 (18.2%) start on the power play, which is ranked 17th in the NHL, has been an early success in comparison to last season’s 40-for-242 (16.5%), which ranked 30th. The zone entries have been cleaner and there’s been more movement of both personnel and the puck in the offensive zone. An improved, less stagnant power play is crucial to bolstering the overall goal production.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.