Islanders packing confidence as they start long trip
Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin celebrates with his teammates after his shutout against the Devils at UBS Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026. Credit: Jim McIsaac
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Islanders departed Wednesday for their longest trek of the season with realistic optimism for the next seven games. They also had a seven-game trip in November but the first two “road” games were against the Rangers and Devils so we’ll discount that.
In some semblance of order: No. 1 goalie Ilya Sorokin is healthy; top-line center Bo Horvat (lower body) is traveling, albeit without a timeline for his return to the lineup after missing the last two games; the Islanders are coming off a 9-0 win over the hard-to-figure Devils; Anthony Duclair is coming off a career-high five points and a natural hat trick and perhaps, just perhaps, can finally start to provide on a consistent basis what has been expected since he signed a four-year, $14 million deal; Mathew Barzal is playing impactful hockey; Matthew Schaefer, no other explanation needed; and most of the next seven opponents are simply not as good as the Islanders (24-15-4).
“Getting your wins at home, that’s probably the easier place when you have your fans behind you,” said Schaefer after the Islanders won their second straight and ninth of their last 11 at UBS Arena, which has hosted seven straight sellouts. “So you’ve got to get your points at home and then you keep working towards the road trip.”
Next up is the Predators (19-19-4), struggling still in their second season under general manager Barry Trotz, on Thursday night at Bridgestone Arena. They are one of four teams the Islanders will face in the next 14 days that are below the playoff cut line. That includes the Canucks and Jets, 31st and 32nd in points, respectively, in the 32-team NHL. Only the Wild, Saturday’s opponent, have more points than the Islanders.
One caveat about the Predators: The Islanders have lost six straight in Nashville and have not won at Bridgestone Arena since Oct. 28, 2017.
As strange as it sounds, the Islanders do have some corrections to make from Tuesday night’s rout. The Devils held a 17-5 edge in high-danger chances according to NaturalStatTrick.com, which only emphasizes Sorokin’s brilliance as he made 44 saves in his return from a seven-game absence because of a lower-body injury to set the franchise record with his 26th career shutout.
“We were really good around the net,” said coach Patrick Roy, praising the defensive effort but not liking everything he saw from the Islanders’ breakouts. “I thought we could have been better. A little too many turnovers.”
Yet Duclair’s first two goals both came off transition rushes.
Duclair now has six goals and 11 assists in 40 games in his second season with the Islanders, his ninth NHL squad. They were his first goals in 13 games dating to Dec. 2 and he had been a healthy scratch the previous two games and in three of the previous five matches.
Roy found him ice time with Barzal, who had a goal and two assists against the Devils, but Duclair has essentially been a bottom-six forward this season.
If Duclair can skate as he did against the Devils and shoot with the accuracy and forcefulness he did, perhaps Roy can consider a bigger role for him.
Remember, the Islanders’ two biggest areas of need are a consistent, top-six scoring wing with Kyle Palmieri (left knee) gone for the season and a left-shooting defenseman with Alexander Romanov (right shoulder) sidelined for the rest of the season.
“I want to keep doing the little things I did tonight and build off that,” Duclair said after scoring on all three shots he took against the Devils. “I just want to give more and do more. I believe in myself and what I can bring.”
Optimism. The Islanders packed plenty for the road.
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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