Our Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Islanders preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Saturday, October 10, 2026. The Tampa Bay Lightning (3-1-0 this season; 50-26-6 in 2025-26) visit the New York Islanders (2-2-0 this season; 43-34-5 in 2025-26) at UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y. Puck drop is 7:30 PM ET (7:30 PM local). TV: The Spot / MSGSN.
Storyline: Tampa Bay has won three straight after a 3-2 win over Minnesota on Thursday, and Nikita Kucherov has six points. The Islanders are 2-2-0 after a 4-1 win over Chicago on Thursday, and Ilya Sorokin has a .965 save percentage. ESPN lists Bo Horvat, who has four goals, as day to day. The Islanders won all three meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Tampa Bay at -170 and The Islanders at +142 on the moneyline, with the total at 5.5.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Islanders Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Tampa Bay Lightning @ New York Islanders |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1-0 | New York Islanders 2-2-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Tampa Bay Lightning 50-26-6 | New York Islanders 43-34-5 |
| Head Coaches | TBL: Jon Cooper (14th season) | NYI: Peter DeBoer (2nd season) |
| Puck Line | TBL -1.5 (+160) | NYI +1.5 (-192) |
| Moneyline | Tampa Bay Lightning: -170 | New York Islanders: +142 |
| Total | O/U 5.5 (o-122 / u+102) |
| Venue | UBS Arena (Elmont, N.Y.) |
| Date / Time | Saturday, October 10, 2026 — 7:30 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | The Spot / MSGSN |
| Probable Starting Goalies | TBL: Andrei Vasilevskiy (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | NYI: Ilya Sorokin (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, ~1:51 PM ET. Totals ranged from 5.5 to 6 across books at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay) and Ilya Sorokin (Islanders) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
Tampa Bay Lightning Preview: Three Straight Wins
2025-26 recap: Tampa Bay went 50-26-6 (106 points), finished second in the Atlantic Division and lost to Montreal in seven games in the first round. Nikita Kucherov won the Hart Trophy after scoring 130 points (44 goals, 86 assists) in 76 games, Vasilevskiy won the Vezina Trophy and Jon Cooper won the Jack Adams Award for the first time (NHL.com). Jake Guentzel had 38 goals and 88 points, and Brandon Hagel scored 36 goals.
Offseason moves: Tampa Bay signed defenseman John Carlson to a two-year, $17 million contract to replace Darren Raddysh, who had 70 points last season and was traded to Toronto. The Lightning also signed forwards Ilya Mikheyev (four years) and Jeffrey Viel (five years) and acquired goalie Dennis Hildeby from Toronto for forward Nick Paul (TampaBayLightning.com, NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Kucherov, Brayden Point, Guentzel, Hagel, Anthony Cirelli, Mikheyev, Pontus Holmberg and Conor Geekie lead the forwards. Victor Hedman is back after a personal leave that lasted from March 20 through the end of last season, and Carlson, J.J. Moser, Ryan McDonagh, Erik Cernak and Charle-Edouard D’Astous round out the defense. Cooper is in his 14th season as coach.
Goalies: Andrei Vasilevskiy has started three games and is 2-1-0 with a .900 save percentage (54 saves on 60 shots). Most recently, he made 14 saves on 15 shots in a 4-1 win over Philadelphia (Oct. 5). Dennis Hildeby has started one game and is 1-0-0 with a .944 save percentage (34 saves on 36 shots). That start was a 3-2 win over Minnesota (Oct. 8). ESPN lists Andrei Vasilevskiy as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Tampa Bay is 3-1-0 through four games before Friday, with 11 goals scored and 9 allowed. Results: a 5-1 loss at the Rangers (Oct. 1), a 3-1 win over Washington (Oct. 3), a 4-1 win over Philadelphia (Oct. 5) and a 3-2 win over Minnesota (Oct. 8). Nikita Kucherov has six points (one goal, five assists), and John Carlson has four points (two goals, two assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed) is listed as out; Yanni Gourde (hip surgery) is on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
New York Islanders Preview: Sorokin’s Strong Start
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, Tony DeAngelo and Stanley are on defense. DeBoer is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Ilya Sorokin has started three games and is 2-1-0 with a .965 save percentage (83 saves on 86 shots). Most recently, he made 22 saves on 23 shots in a 4-1 win over Chicago (Oct. 8). Semyon Varlamov has started one game and is 0-1-0 with an .864 save percentage (19 saves on 22 shots). That start was a 5-2 loss at the Rangers (Oct. 6). ESPN lists Ilya Sorokin as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: The Islanders are 2-2-0 through four games before Friday, with 13 goals scored and 8 allowed. Results: a 2-1 loss at Toronto (Sept. 30), a 6-0 win over New Jersey (Oct. 3), a 5-2 loss at the Rangers (Oct. 6) and a 4-1 win over Chicago (Oct. 8). Bo Horvat has five points (four goals, one assist), and Brayden Schenn has four points (one goal, three assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Alexander Romanov (knee surgery) is listed as out; Bo Horvat (upper body) is day to day; Mathew Barzal (knee) is on injured reserve (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Lightning vs Islanders
- Schedule spot: Both teams played Thursday. Tampa Bay visits the Rangers on Tuesday, and the Islanders host Vancouver on Tuesday.
- Last season: The Islanders won all three meetings last season: 2-1 at home on Dec. 2, 2025, 2-0 in Tampa Bay on Dec. 6, 2025 and 3-2 in a shootout at home on Dec. 13, 2025 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Tampa Bay is converting 6.2 percent of its power plays and has killed 77.8 percent of penalties. The Islanders is converting 21.4 percent of its power plays and has killed 86.7 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Tampa Bay has scored 11 goals and allowed 9 in 4 games. The Islanders have scored 13 goals and allowed 8 in 4 games.
- Odds snapshot: Tampa Bay -170 / The Islanders +142 on the moneyline, Lightning -1.5 (+160) on the puck line, total 5.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Tampa Bay Lightning vs New York Islanders
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
Puck drop: 7:30 PM ET (7:30 PM local)
Venue: UBS Arena, Elmont, N.Y.
TV: In the U.S., MSG Sportsnet (MSGSN) carries it in the Islanders’ market and The Spot carries it in the Lightning’s market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 10, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.