NY Islanders Projected Lineup for Opener Against Maple Leafs

Who is going to be taking the ice for the New York Islanders in their season opener?

Sep 22, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo (77) controls the puck in the first 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 set to begin their 2026-27 NHL regular season on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

This is a great opportunity for the Islanders to start the season on a high note in their first full campaign under Peter DeBoer. He took over with four games remaining in the 2025-26 regular season when Patrick Roy was fired.

The Maple Leafs started their season last night, losing at home to the Montreal Canadiens 3-2. That gives New York a distinct advantage because they are expected to start their backup goalie, Anthony Stolarz, in net after their newest addition, Sergei Bobrovsky, started in the opener.

The Islanders will. of course, have their star, Ilya Sorokin, starting in net with Semyon Varlamov as the backup. What will the lineup look like in front of him? Here are the projected lineups for New York based on their practice leading into the season opener.

Who made Islanders projected opening night lineup?

Mar 22, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) celebrates his goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets with teammates during the first period at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On the first line will be Captain Bo Horvat at center, flanked by Simon Holmstrom on the left wing and Kyle Palmieri on the right wing. This will be Palmieri’s first regular-season action since tearing his ACL last November.

For the second line, Matias Maccelli, the team’s biggest free-agent addition, is on the left wing. He looked great in the preseason and will be skating with Cal Ritchie at center and Brayden Schenn at right wing.

The third line features one of their star rookies, left winger Victor Eklund. He earned a spot on the team with his performance in training camp. Skating with him will be JG Pageau at center and Emil Heineman at right wing.

Making up the fourth line will be Ondrej Palat, Casey Cizikas and Anthony Duclair. It will be interesting to see how much of a leash Duclair gets after there were rumors of his contract being bought out. The extra skater will be Kyle MacLean.

#Isles at practice
Holmstrom-Horvat-Palmieri
Maccelli-Ritchie-Schenn
Eklund-Pageau-Heineman
Palat-Cizikas-Duclair
Extra: MacLean
Pelech-Schaefer
Romanov-Pulock
Stanley-DeAngelo
Extras: Mayfield, Kessel
Sorokin
Varlamov

— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) September 29, 2026

For the defensive pairings, Adam Pelech is on the left side of the top pair with Matthew Schaefer on the right. A left-handed shot, Schaefer proved capable of producing and making an impact no matter which side he was on, recording three points in his only preseason appearance.

The No. 2 pairing will be Alexander Romanov, returning to the lineup after a season-ending shoulder injury last November. The pressure is on him to get back on track to cement his status as a long-term blue line piece. He will be paired with Ryan Pulock.

For the third defenseman pairing, Logan Stanley, who was just signed a few days ago, will take the ice with Tony DeAngelo. The extra defensemen are Scott Mayfield and Matt Kessel.