NY Islanders Have Major Adjustments To Make With New NHL Schedule

The New York Islanders will have to adjust to some major changes courtesy of the new NHL schedule.

Apr 11, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer speaks to the media before their game against the Ottawa Senators at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alexander Wohl-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders, like every team in the NHL, are going to have to make some major adjustments during the 2026-27 season.

For the first time, the league is expanding to an 84-game campaign, which will require some adjustments from a preparation standpoint for franchises. Having two extra regular season games is a major change.

However, when some of those games are scheduled to be played is where teams are going to have to figure out the biggest adjustments. With the NHL looking to continue growing the expanded viewership and fan base developing in Europe, they have built some midweek matinee games into the schedule.

It is common for holidays to feature earlier start times, but now the league is going to have regularly scheduled games during the afternoon in North America so that they are airing live during prime time hours in a growing market.

NHL looking to expand into European markets

Mar 14, 2026; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; View of an NHL logo on a jersey worn by a linesman during the third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“A new fixture on the NHL regular season schedule for 2026-27 is a steady stream of Monday weekday matinee / European primetime games, providing passionate hockey fans abroad the ability to watch their favorite teams, and some of the NHL’s biggest stars, in prime time during the week. These games further the League’s commitment to deepening its connection with international fans and growth in European markets, as well as driving brand awareness for NHL Clubs internationally. This also provides a new offering to engage fans and new audiences in the NHL’s North American markets: a matinee game creates a unique and memorable fan experience and allows Clubs to deliver bespoke activations and fun engagement opportunities,” per the league in a statement, shared by Stefan Rosner of The Elmonters.

The Islanders are one of the teams that are going to be impacted by these scheduled matinee games. They are going to be playing five of them, which will create some obstacles for head coach Peter DeBoer to overcome.

New York will host the Colorado Avalanche at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, Dec. 7 in the first of the weekday matinees. On Wednesday, Dec. 30, they will have the Washington Capitals at UBS Arena.

Monday, Jan. 18, it will be the Nashville Predators coming to town for a game that the puck will drop at 3 p.m. ET. Two weeks later, on Feb. 1, the Islanders are heading on the road for a 1 p.m. ET start against the Florida Panthers.

#Isles Out of Context: Schedule Release Edition 🤣

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) July 17, 2026

Last but not least, the Utah Mammoth will be making their own trip to UBS Arena during the 2026-27 season for a 3 p.m. ET start on Feb. 15.

Having four out of their five weekday matinee games being played at home is certainly a nice luxury and should create a little bit of an advantage for New York to have over their opponents, especially with multiple coming from the Western Conference across multiple time zones.

The Islanders have four other matinee games throughout the season, all on weekends, as has been the case previously. It will be interesting to see how coaches navigate the weekday matinees when it comes to lineup and starting goaltender decisions, with them adding a new wrinkle into game planning.