Our New York Islanders vs New York Rangers preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Tuesday, October 6, 2026. The New York Islanders (1-1-0 this season; 43-34-5 in 2025-26) visit the New York Rangers (3-1-0 this season; 34-39-9 in 2025-26) at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y. Puck drop is 7:30 PM ET (7:30 PM local). TV: ESPN (U.S. national) / Sportsnet+ (Canada).
Storyline: The Islanders won all four meetings last season by a combined 14-3, including two shutouts. The Rangers are 3-1-0 after three straight wins, most recently a 4-2 victory over Utah on Sunday, and have allowed six goals in four games. The Islanders are 1-1-0 after Ilya Sorokin made 37 saves in a 6-0 win over New Jersey on Saturday (NHL.com). DraftKings lists the Rangers at -148 and the Islanders at +124 on the moneyline, with the total at 5.5.
New York Islanders vs New York Rangers Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | New York Islanders @ New York Rangers |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | New York Islanders 1-1-0 | New York Rangers 3-1-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | New York Islanders 43-34-5 | New York Rangers 34-39-9 |
| Head Coaches | NYI: Peter DeBoer (2nd season) | NYR: Mike Sullivan (2nd season) |
| Puck Line | NYI +1.5 (-205) | NYR -1.5 (+170) |
| Moneyline | New York Islanders: +124 | New York Rangers: -148 |
| Total | O/U 5.5 (o-120 / u+100) |
| Venue | Madison Square Garden (New York, N.Y.) |
| Date / Time | Tuesday, October 6, 2026 — 7:30 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | ESPN (U.S. national) / Sportsnet+ (Canada) |
| Probable Starting Goalies | NYI: TBD (Ilya Sorokin / Semyon Varlamov) | NYR: TBD (Igor Shesterkin / Dylan Garand) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Monday, Oct. 5, 2026, ~10:23 PM ET. Other books listed the same total at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. Starting goalies had not been confirmed at research time.
New York Islanders Preview: Last Season, Offseason & Goalies
2025-26 recap: The Islanders went 43-34-5 (91 points), finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs. Mathew Barzal led the team with 72 points (19 goals, 53 assists), Bo Horvat scored a team-high 31 goals, and Matthew Schaefer, the No. 1 selection in the 2025 draft, had 23 goals and 59 points as an 18-year-old defenseman (NHL.com). Peter DeBoer replaced Patrick Roy as coach during the season.
Offseason moves: The Islanders added forward Matias Maccelli (39 points for Toronto last season), defensemen Logan Stanley and Matthew Kessel, and goalie Semyon Varlamov returned to the NHL roster. Forward Anders Lee now plays for Utah, Maxim Shabanov for Minnesota and goalie David Rittich for New Jersey (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Horvat, Brayden Schenn, Kyle Palmieri, Simon Holmstrom, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Emil Heineman, Anthony Duclair, Calum Ritchie, Victor Eklund and Maccelli lead the forwards. Schaefer, Ryan Pulock, Adam Pelech, Alexander Romanov, Tony DeAngelo and Scott Mayfield are on defense. DeBoer is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Sorokin went 29-24-2 with a 2.68 GAA, .906 save percentage and seven shutouts in 55 games last season. He has started both games this season, making 24 saves on 26 shots at Toronto and 37 saves in the shutout of New Jersey, for a .968 save percentage. Varlamov has not played yet this season. The Islanders had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season so far: Colton Sissons and Easton Cowan (power play) scored for Toronto in the first period of a 2-1 Maple Leafs win on Sept. 30, and Heineman scored shorthanded for the Islanders. On Saturday, Holmstrom, Schenn and Horvat (power play) scored in the second period, and Eklund, Ondrej Palat and Casey Cizikas (shorthanded) scored in the third (NHL.com).
Injuries: Barzal (knee) is on injured reserve. A Sept. 30 report from Newsday said he might resume skating soon (ESPN).
New York Rangers Preview: Three Straight Wins and New Scoring Depth
2025-26 recap: The Rangers went 34-39-9 (77 points), finished last in the Metropolitan Division and missed the playoffs. Mika Zibanejad led the team with 78 points (34 goals, 44 assists, 16 power-play goals), Alexis Lafreniere had 57 points, and Artemi Panarin had 57 points in 52 games before he was moved to Los Angeles during the season. Adam Fox had 53 points in 55 games (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: The Rangers added forward Pavel Dorofeyev, who scored 37 goals (20 on the power play) for Vegas, forwards Eeli Tolvanen (Seattle), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Tampa Bay) and Joseph Veleno, defensemen Sean Durzi (Utah) and Marcus Pettersson (Vancouver), goalie Joonas Korpisalo (Boston) and defenseman Alberts Smits, the No. 5 selection in the 2026 draft. Vincent Trocheck now plays for Utah and Will Borgen for Boston (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Zibanejad, J.T. Miller, Lafreniere, Dorofeyev, Will Cuylle, Gabe Perreault, Tolvanen and Bjorkstrand lead the forwards. Fox, Vladislav Gavrikov, Durzi, Pettersson, Braden Schneider and Smits are on defense. Mike Sullivan is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Igor Shesterkin went 25-19-6 with a 2.50 GAA and .912 save percentage in 51 games last season. He is 2-1-0 with a .934 save percentage in three starts this season, including 28 saves on 30 shots against Utah on Sunday. Dylan Garand made 22 saves in a 2-0 shutout at Detroit on Oct. 2. Korpisalo is on injured reserve. The Rangers had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season so far: Boston scored three times in the final 3:46 of a 3-0 win on Sept. 29. Zibanejad (power play), Dorofeyev, Tolvanen and Perreault scored against Tampa Bay on Oct. 1, and Shesterkin scored an empty-net goal at 17:26 of the third period of the 5-1 win. Durzi scored on the power play at Detroit on Oct. 2, and Gavrikov, Perreault, Miller and Tolvanen (empty net) scored against Utah on Sunday (NHL.com).
Injuries: Korpisalo (lower body) and forward Adam Sykora (lower body) are on injured reserve, and Veleno (lower body) is listed as out. Defenseman Matthew Robertson is day to day for a reason not related to injury (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Islanders vs Rangers
- Schedule spot: The Rangers played Sunday and had Monday off. It is their fifth game and third home game. The Islanders last played Saturday, and it is their second road game.
- Last season: The Islanders won 5-0 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 8, 2025, 2-0 at home on Dec. 27, 5-2 at home on Jan. 28 and 2-1 at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 29 (NHL.com).
- Goals against: The Islanders have allowed two goals in two games, and the Rangers have allowed six in four.
- Points: Fox has four assists in four games, and Tolvanen has three goals, two into an empty net.
- In goal: Sorokin has a .968 save percentage in two starts. Shesterkin has a .934 save percentage in three starts.
- Odds snapshot: The Rangers -148 / the Islanders +124 on the moneyline, Rangers -1.5 (+170) on the puck line, total 5.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch New York Islanders vs New York Rangers
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026
Puck drop: 7:30 PM ET (7:30 PM local)
Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, N.Y.
TV: ESPN has the game nationally in the U.S., and Sportsnet+ has it nationally in Canada (NHL.com). No regional broadcasts are listed for this game at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 6, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.