As of December 31, 2025, the New York Islanders held the second spot in the Metropolitan Division, with 48 points through 40 games. Throughout the months of November and December, the Islanders had 17 wins under their belt. The team lost ten games in regulation and had two non-regulation losses. Overall, the Islanders earned themselves 36 points over the last two months.
Part of the team’s success included a strong road trip in November. The team went off on a seven game road trip and came back with 12 points, only losing to the Colorado Avalanche. The road trip was a shocking occurrence, honestly, as the team was struggling to get points towards the end of October and beginning of November.
Following the road trip, during which the Islanders defeated some of the top teams in the league, the team returned home and fell a bit flat. To end the month of November, the Islanders went 1-3-1 in their final five games.
During their game against the Philadelphia Flyers on November 28, Kyle Palmieri went down awkwardly before making an assist on Emil Heineman’s goal. The assist would be his last for the season, as the forward is out six to eight months with a torn ACL.
Kyle Palmieri after getting hurt on the boards, stole the puck while heading to the bench, got the assist and then went to the dressing room 😭🚨 pic.twitter.com/EBg7ugtYwc
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 28, 2025
Not to be counted out, New York came back swinging to start December, earning confident wins over Tampa Bay and Colorado at home before defeating Tampa again on the road. A quick blip of a loss to the Florida Panthers did not defeat the locker room though, as they came home for another three-game win streak, including a sweep of the Lightning.
The team appeared to struggle before the holiday break, losing to Detroit, Vancouver, and Buffalo, one right after the other. During this time though, the team was without Bo Horvat who was out with a lower body injury. The Islanders gave Isles Nation a quick holiday present in the form of a 2-1 win in a close battle with the New Jersey Devils on December 23.
The Islanders carried that momentum into their game against the New York Rangers on December 27, winning 2-0. The team split their last two games of the season, but ended 2025 with a win against the Chicago Blackhawks on December 30.
For the season so far, Horvat leads the team in goals. He scored 14 goals and tallied seven assists over the last two months, even despite his injury. Mat Barzal has also been stepping up, earning himself seven goals and 14 assists through two months and leading the team in assists for the season. Barzal has also stepped up as a leader, making note that no one is to target rookie Matthew Schaefer.
Schaefer continues to make history in his rookie season, now being the youngest defenseman to hit 25 points. The defenseman has also been quarterbacking the first power play unit and gets significant time on the penalty kill. Each member of the team has something positive to say about Schaefer’s skill, work ethic, and attitude.
New faces began to make an immediate impact in 2025 including 18-year-old No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer, who had a historic start to his career.
For more, check out the #NHLStats: 2025 Year in Review: https://t.co/qBmX358s8f pic.twitter.com/6sCxtgsTE3
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) January 1, 2026
Anders Lee has also been a significant player for the team, also earning 25 points for the season so far. It appears he is performing well as captain too, as the team seems to have a good attitude post-game, win or lose.
The team’s goaltending tandem has also looked solid for the first half of the season. Ilya Sorokin, although currently injured, has a .910 save percentage and David Rittich “backs up” well with a .918 percentage.
The New York Islanders will kick off 2026 with a matinee game against the Utah Mammoth at UBS Arena at 3 p.m. on January 1.
