Our New York Islanders vs Toronto Maple Leafs preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Saturday, October 17, 2026. The New York Islanders (3-3-1 this season; 43-34-5 in 2025-26) visit the Toronto Maple Leafs (3-3-2 this season; 32-36-14 in 2025-26) at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ont. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local). TV: MSGSN / Sportsnet.
Storyline: The Islanders enter Saturday at 3-3-1 after a 2-1 shootout loss at Ottawa (Oct. 15). Toronto enters Saturday at 3-3-2 after a 5-4 overtime loss to Buffalo (Oct. 15). The Islanders won all three meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Toronto at -135 and the Islanders at +114 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
New York Islanders vs Toronto Maple Leafs Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | New York Islanders @ Toronto Maple Leafs |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | New York Islanders 3-3-1 | Toronto Maple Leafs 3-3-2 |
| 2025-26 Records | New York Islanders 43-34-5 | Toronto Maple Leafs 32-36-14 |
| Head Coaches | NYI: Peter DeBoer (2nd season) | TOR: Jim Hiller (1st season) |
| Puck Line | NYI +1.5 (-218) | TOR -1.5 (+180) |
| Moneyline | New York Islanders: +114 | Toronto Maple Leafs: -135 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+102 / u-122) |
| Venue | Scotiabank Arena (Toronto, Ont.) |
| Date / Time | Saturday, October 17, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | MSGSN / Sportsnet |
| Probable Starting Goalies | NYI: Ilya Sorokin (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | TOR: Sergei Bobrovsky (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, ~6:24 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Ilya Sorokin (Islanders) and Sergei Bobrovsky (Toronto) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
New York Islanders Preview: Horvat Leads a 3-3-1 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 five games and is 3-2-0 with a .934 save percentage (128 saves on 137 shots). Most recently, he made 24 saves on 26 shots in a 3-2 win over Vancouver (Oct. 13). Semyon Varlamov has started two games and is 0-1-1 with a .905 save percentage (38 saves on 42 shots). Most recently, he made 19 saves on 20 shots in a 2-1 shootout loss at Ottawa (Oct. 15). ESPN lists Ilya Sorokin as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: The Islanders are 3-3-1 through seven games, with 20 goals scored and 17 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), a 4-1 win over Chicago (Oct. 8), a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay (Oct. 10), a 3-2 win over Vancouver (Oct. 13) and a 2-1 shootout loss at Ottawa (Oct. 15). Bo Horvat has seven points (four goals, three assists), and Matias Maccelli has six points (two goals, four assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Alexander Romanov (knee surgery) is listed as out; Mathew Barzal (knee) is on injured reserve (ESPN).
Toronto Maple Leafs Preview: Matthews Leads a 3-3-2 Start
2025-26 recap: Toronto went 32-36-14 (78 points), finished last in the Atlantic Division and missed the playoffs. William Nylander led the team with 79 points (30 goals, 49 assists) in 65 games, John Tavares scored a team-high 31 goals and had 71 points, Matthew Knies had 66 points and Auston Matthews had 27 goals in 60 games (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Jim Hiller replaced Craig Berube as coach. Toronto selected forward Gavin McKenna No. 1 in the 2026 draft and added forward Kirill Marchenko (67 points for Columbus), defenseman Darren Raddysh (70 points for Tampa Bay), goalie Sergei Bobrovsky from Florida, forwards Colton Sissons, Jack Roslovic, Nick Paul, Teddy Blueger and Brandon Duhaime, and defenseman Nick Blankenburg. Knies now plays for Columbus, and Joseph Woll (Philadelphia), Dennis Hildeby (Tampa Bay), Nick Robertson (Pittsburgh) and Matias Maccelli (Islanders) are also gone (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Matthews, Nylander, Tavares, Marchenko, Easton Cowan, McKenna, Sissons and Roslovic lead the forwards. Morgan Rielly, Raddysh, Jake McCabe, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Troy Stecher are on defense. Hiller, who began last season as coach in Los Angeles, is in his first season behind the Toronto bench.
Goalies: Sergei Bobrovsky has started five games and is 1-2-2 with an .896 save percentage (147 saves on 164 shots). Most recently, he made 30 saves on 35 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to Buffalo (Oct. 15). Anthony Stolarz has started three games and is 2-1-0 with an .875 save percentage (70 saves on 80 shots). Most recently, he made 23 saves on 28 shots in a 5-4 loss at Utah (Oct. 13). ESPN lists Sergei Bobrovsky as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Toronto is 3-3-2 through eight games, with 28 goals scored and 28 allowed. Results: a 3-2 loss to Montreal (Sept. 29), a 2-1 win over the Islanders (Sept. 30), a 3-2 loss to Ottawa (Oct. 3), a 5-4 overtime win over Nashville (Oct. 6), a 4-3 shootout loss at Vegas (Oct. 8), a 6-3 win at Colorado (Oct. 10), a 5-4 loss at Utah (Oct. 13) and a 5-4 overtime loss to Buffalo (Oct. 15). Auston Matthews has 13 points (six goals, seven assists), and William Nylander has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: John Tavares (undisclosed) is day to day; Miles Wood (undisclosed), Chris Tanev (upper body) and Elvis Merzlikins (shoulder surgery) are on injured reserve; Dakota Joshua (abdomen), Max Domi (back surgery), Cade Webber (elbow) and William Villeneuve (knee surgery) are on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Islanders vs Maple Leafs
- Schedule spot: The Islanders last played on Oct. 15 and host Anaheim on Oct. 20. Toronto last played on Oct. 15 and hosts San Jose on Oct. 19. Neither team played on Friday, Oct. 16, so neither is on the second night of a back-to-back (NHL.com).
- Last season: The Islanders won all three meetings last season: 4-3 in overtime at home on Jan. 3, 2026, 3-1 in Toronto on March 17 and 5-3 at home on April 9 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: The Islanders are converting 18.2 percent of their power plays and have killed 85.2 percent of penalties. Toronto is converting 29.6 percent of its power plays and has killed 96.2 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: The Islanders have scored 20 goals and allowed 17 in 7 games. Toronto has scored 28 goals and allowed 28 in 8 games.
- Odds snapshot: Toronto -135 / the Islanders +114 on the moneyline, Maple Leafs -1.5 (+180) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch New York Islanders vs Toronto Maple Leafs
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ont.
TV: In the U.S., MSG Sportsnet (MSGSN) carries it in the Islanders’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, Sportsnet carries it (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 17, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.