3 takeaways for the Islanders heading into the holiday break
Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer sets against the New Jersey Devils in the first period of an NHL hockey game at UBS Arena on Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
It’s been an eventful 11 weeks of hockey for the Islanders, who went into the NHL’s three-day holiday break poised to be a strong Eastern Conference playoff contender.
The Islanders (20-13-4), who will resume play on Saturday against the Rangers at UBS Arena, entered the hiatus by snapping a three-game losing streak in an entertaining 2-1 win over the visiting Devils on Tuesday night.
There’s a good chance that top-line center Bo Horvat, who has missed five games with a lower-body injury, and No. 1 goalie Ilya Sorokin, shut down on Monday for a minor “nagging issue,” will be available for the Islanders’ next game.
In the meantime, here are three takeaways from the Islanders’ first 37 games:
1. They are resilient
Sure, it sounds like a cliche, and the Islanders and coach Patrick Roy are not the first to praise themselves for an ability to bounce back and withstand bad periods or games. But the statistics do back up the sentiment.
Tuesday’s victory was the Islanders’ 10th comeback win. They are 12-3-4 in one-goal games, which a smidge less than 50% of their games have been.
“We are kind of getting used to playing those types of games,” goalie David Rittich said after making 31 saves against the Devils. “We’ve played really tight games for a long period of time. So we’re getting used to it and I think we’re getting better in those situations, being able to stay in the game and stick with our plan and doing whatever we need to do to get at least a point.”
That was particularly true in Saturday’s 3-2, five-round shootout loss in Buffalo. The Islanders rallied from two goals down after a wretched first period that mirrored the 60 minutes they played in Friday’s 4-1 loss to the visiting Canucks.
It’s left the Islanders in third place in the Metropolitan Division and three points off the pace in both the division and the conference.
“I think we’re going to look at the standings pretty much a lot until the end of the year,” Roy said.
2. They’ve forced some Olympic conversations
Dec. 31 is the deadline for countries to submit their final 25-man rosters for February’s 2026 Winter Games in Italy, and it’s unclear whether the Islanders will have multiple representatives or none.
Horvat and No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer have been on Team Canada’s radar and there’s an outside chance that forward Emil Heineman could pique Team Sweden’s interest (and even more of an outside chance that forward Simon Holmstrom would be considered for Team Sweden).
Horvat is leading the Islanders with 19 goals and 31 points in his 32 games. Schaefer’s mature play, with an impressive nine goals and 15 assists in 37 games, has at least made him part of the conversation.
Heineman’s 12 goals in 37 games — and his ascension to a top-six role — has surpassed the 10 goals he had in 62 games last season as a Canadiens rookie.
Heineman said he has not heard from Team Sweden’s management. “It will be interesting to see,” he said. “I would be really interested to see the teams. It’s a big deal now when it’s best-on-best. I’m excited to watch that or it would be a dream come true to be a part of it.''
3. Schaefer has been able to avoid the rookie wall
The condensed schedule to accommodate a two-week break for the Olympics clearly has been a grind to veterans and rookies alike. Schaefer’s dynamic skating, playmaking skills and ability to play stout defense have not tired even as he leads the Islanders with an average ice time of 23:40 (Mathew Barzal is next at 21:16).
It will be something to monitor as the 18-year-old — bunking this season with former Islander Matt Martin, the special assistant to general manager Mathieu Darche — attempts to navigate the 82-game NHL slate.
“When you’re 18, it’s a little bit easier, for sure,” said defenseman Scott Mayfield, 33. “He’s got all the resources. Off the ice, the organization has been great with him. Matt Martin’s been great with him. And then he’s got us. He can ask us questions, talk to us. We’re all here to help him. He’s got a motor on him. He can keep going.”
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.
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