NY Islanders Make Cuts, Announce Final Preseason Lineup

The New York Islanders are doing a dress rehearsal against the New Jersey Devils.

Sep 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Kyle MacLean (32) circles back to center ice after scoring in the second period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders are playing their final tuneup game of the preseason against the New Jersey Devils at UBS Arena.

They enter the game 1-2-0 thus far, suffering their second loss on Friday night against the New York Rangers. That was a dress rehearsal for the Rangers, who had a lot of veterans in the lineup against an Islanders squad that was made up mostly of youngsters who will be in the AHL.

The Blueshirts came away with a dominant 6-1 victory, with the most important takeaway for the orange and blue being goalie Semyon Varlamov and defensemen Alexander Romanov and Ryan Pulock all making successful returns from injury.

Romanov and Pulock are both back in the lineup for the finale against the Devils as two of the seven defensemen who are in the lineup. More NHL regulars will be featured, but not Matthew Schaefer, who is getting another night off. The rest of the blue line lineup is Adam Pelech, Matt Kessel, Scott Mayfield, Isaiah George and Kashawn Aitcheson.

Islanders announce lineup for final preseason game

Sep 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers right wing Eeli Tolvanen (17) and New York Islanders defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson (37) battle for control of the puck in the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Varlamov is getting the night off. It will be Vitek Vanecek as the No. 2 behind Ilya Sorokin, who is expected to start and play the entirety of the game to prepare himself for the season opener, which is scheduled for Sept. 30 on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Up front, New York is going with 11 forwards tonight against New Jersey. Anthony Duclair is suiting up for a second straight game along with Emil Heineman. Joining them are Bo Horvat, Kyle Palmieri, JG Pageau, Casey Cizikas, Matias Maccelli, Cal Ritchie, Victor Eklund, Ondrej Palat and Simon Holmstrom.

Tonight’s Preseason Roster ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/UIy108ZwaU

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) September 26, 2026

Maccelli was excellent in his Islanders debut, scoring two power-play goals against the Rangers on Sept. 22 in a 4-3 comeback victory.

New York is a little shorthanded for this one because they made a lot of cuts this afternoon before the game. Matthew Highmore has been assigned to the Hamilton Hammers of the AHL along with Alex Jefferies, Josh Kotai, Daniil Prokhorov and Marshall Warren.

#Isles Transactions: Alex Jefferies, Josh Kotai, Daniil Prokhorov, and Marshall Warren have been assigned to Hamilton (AHL). Mitchell Chaffee, Pierre Engvall, Liam Foudy, Daylan Kuefler, and Matt Luff have been placed on waivers for purpose of assignment to Hamilton. Matthew…

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) September 26, 2026

They will be joined by several players if they clear waivers. Mitchell Chaffee, Pierre Engvall, Liam Foudy, Daylan Kuefler and Matt Luff were all waived with the intention of being assigned to Hamilton.

Rarely are players claimed by another franchise off waivers. Last year, only 10 out of the 233 players who hit waivers ended up with a different team. This year, only three players have been claimed thus far.