Islanders vs. Maple Leafs preview: New York opens as Toronto seeks bounce-back

Dustin Judge
New York Islanders center Calum Ritchie (64) celebrates at the bench after scoring.

The New York Islanders open their season Wednesday against a Toronto Maple Leafs team already searching for answers after one game. Puck drop at Scotiabank Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. ET, with Toronto playing the second half of a back-to-back following a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.

Both clubs missed the playoffs last season, and both are leaning on new faces to change that. New York enters under new captain Bo Horvat and reigning Calder Trophy winner Matthew Schaefer. Toronto is breaking in a retooled roster around Auston Matthews, including No. 1 overall pick Gavin McKenna and newly acquired forward Kirill Marchenko.

Islanders at Maple Leafs game information

  • Date: Wednesday, Sept. 30
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Venue: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, Ontario
  • TV/Streaming: ESPN+, MSGSN

Islanders outlook

New York has yet to play a regular-season game this season, but its preseason stretch offered a mixed preview: a 4-3 win over the New York Rangers sandwiched between losses to the Rangers, New Jersey Devils and Carolina Hurricanes. Ilya Sorokin, last season’s Vezina Trophy runner-up, is projected to start in goal for the Islanders.

Center Mathew Barzal remains on injured reserve with a knee injury and is not expected back until Oct. 6. New York also lost longtime captain Anders Lee in free agency but added former Maple Leaf Matias Maccelli to fill his left-wing spot. The bigger storyline is Schaefer, the 2025 first overall pick who won the Calder Trophy this season, anchoring the Islanders’ blue line for years to come.

New captain Horvat said the group believes it can contend despite low outside expectations. “Everybody believes in here,” Horvat said, according to CBS Sports. “Everybody knows what we’re capable of, and I think when we put everything together, I think we have a really good hockey team.”

Maple Leafs outlook

Toronto stumbled out of the gate Tuesday, falling 3-2 to Montreal in a game defined by turnovers in its own zone. “We turned the puck over in the D-zone,” Maple Leafs coach Jim Hiller said, according to CBS Sports. “Outside of that, I thought we played pretty well.” Toronto fell to 0-1-0 after finishing 32-36-14 last season, the franchise’s lowest win total in a decade, which ended a nine-year playoff streak.

Anthony Stolarz is projected to start in net Wednesday. Toronto’s injury list is lengthy: defenseman Cade Webber (elbow) and defenseman William Villeneuve (knee surgery) are both projected to return around Oct. 31, center Max Domi (back surgery) is targeting a Nov. 21 return, center Dakota Joshua (abdomen) is projected back Oct. 17, and goaltender Elvis Merzlikins remains out following shoulder surgery with a projected return date of March 30. William Nylander scored twice in the opener and leads the team with two points, with Marchenko picking up an assist on his first goal in a Maple Leafs jersey.

Key matchup: Schaefer vs. McKenna

The most watched storyline pairs Schaefer, a Stoney Creek, Ontario, native, against McKenna, the No. 1 pick Toronto selected in June, in what NHL.com framed as a matchup of past and present top selections. Schaefer downplayed any added significance tied to facing his hometown-area team.

“We’re not really worried about them,” Schaefer said. “We’re more concerned about ourselves.” Auston Matthews, the No. 1 pick in 2016, said McKenna has the support system to handle the pressure of playing in Toronto, telling NHL.com he believes McKenna is “a kid that can handle it.”

What to watch

Toronto sits at the bottom of the Atlantic Division after Tuesday’s loss, while the Islanders open their season Wednesday. Toronto is also integrating a wave of new players beyond McKenna and Marchenko, including goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, defenseman Darren Raddysh and forwards Nicholas Paul, Jack Roslovic, Colton Sissons, Brandon Duhaime, Teddy Blueger and Zack MacEwen, all of whom made their Maple Leafs debuts Tuesday.

Hiller said continuity will take time. “It’s going to take some time until everybody settles into their roles,” he said, according to CBS Sports.

For the Islanders, the opener marks the first test of Peter DeBoer’s first full season after the interim tag was removed, following a playoff push last spring that fell short under his watch. New York’s ability to generate offense without Lee and with Barzal sidelined will be an early gauge of the group’s depth. The Islanders host the Buffalo Sabres for their home opener later this week.

Reporting from CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, FOX Sports and NHL.com contributed to this story. Official statistics: ESPN (official league data).

Dustin Judge is the Founder and CEO of Total Apex Media, bringing more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience to the company's growing network of digital publications. He specializes in sports, sports betting, fantasy sports, and digital publishing, with a focus on producing accurate, timely, and engaging content for readers. Dustin oversees editorial strategy, content development, and publishing operations across Total Apex Media while remaining actively involved in sports, betting, and fantasy sports coverage.