The New York Islanders will open their 2026-27 NHL season on September 30 against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. Fans can watch the game live for free through a five-day trial of DIRECTV or via ESPN+ outside the local market. The matchup features Matthew Schaefer, last year’s Calder Trophy winner and new alternate captain for the Islanders, and Gavin McKenna, the most recent first-overall draft pick playing his debut season with the Maple Leafs.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-30,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Islanders 2-1 on Wednesday night, with goals from Easton Cowan and Colton Sissons. Anthony Stolarz made 26 saves in his season debut for the Leafs after a challenging previous year marked by injuries and missed playoffs. The victory was particularly crucial for the Leafs, who had lost their opening game to the Montreal Canadiens. For the Islanders, it was their first loss of the season, highlighting defensive issues that were exacerbated despite standout performances from rookie Matthew Schaefer and Victor Eklund. Up next, the Islanders host New Jersey while the Maple Leafs face Ottawa on Saturday night. Both teams showed promise but also areas needing improvement in their respective opening games.
Written for “Islanders Vs Maple Leafs Season Opener” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 9 other(s) covering the same event.
The New York Islanders are set to open the 2026-27 season on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, Sept. 30.
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Islanders → set → Leafs
Last season, the Islanders finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a 43-34-5.
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Islanders → finish → 5
This season will be the first full season under head coach Peter DeBoer, who was hired in April 2026 for the final four games of the regular season after Patrick Roy was fired.
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Roy → hire → season
They’ll face the Toronto Maple Leafs, who opened their season last night with a 3-2 loss against the Montreal Canadiens.
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who → face → Canadiens
Schaefer begins his second NHL season with the Islanders today after tying the league’s rookie record for goals by a defenseman (23).
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Schaefer → begin → defenseman
The reigning Calder Trophy winner for rookie of the year was named an alternate captain by the Islanders earlier this week.
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winner → reign → Islanders
McKenna was held to 0 points in his NHL debut, where he played on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander.
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he → hold → Tavares
Here’s how to watch the Islanders’ season-opener if you don’t have cable.
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you → ’ → cable
Puck drop at tonight’s (Sept. 30) Islanders vs. Maple Leafs game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
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drop → schedule → ET
How to watch Islanders vs. Maple Leafs for free
If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to tune in to tonight’s Islanders game.
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you → watch → game
DIRECTV is our favorite service for trying live TV for free.
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DIRECTV → try → TV
Right now, you can take advantage of a five-day free trial before saving $30 on your first month.
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you → take → month
We recommend the Choice plan, which includes ESPN as part of its 125+ channels.
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which → recommend → channels
The most cost-effective way to watch the Islanders without cable is with a subscription to MSG+ via DAZN.
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way → watch → DAZN
An MSG subscription on DAZN includes all live Islanders, Rangers, Devils and Knicks games for those in the NY metro TV market and costs $19.99 for your first month.
Islanders schedule 2026
The NHL has expanded the regular season to 84 games beginning this season.
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NHL → include → games
You can check out the full 84-game slate here, but below, we’ve listed out some key matchups, including the Isles’ first game against each Metropolitan Division rival.
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we → check → rival
- Home opener: Oct. 3 vs. New Jersey Devils, 7:30 p.m. ET (MSG) – get tickets
- Oct. 6 vs. New York Islanders, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
- Nov. 5 vs. Carolina Hurricanes, 7 p.m. ET (Disney+, Hulu)
- Nov. 17 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 7 p.m. ET (MSG)
- Nov. 28 vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 7:30 p.m. ET (MSG)
- Dec. 30 vs. Washington Capitals, 4 p.m. ET (MSG)
- Jan. 13 vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT, truTV)
- Final regular season game: April 10 vs. Columbus Blue Jackets, 5 p.m. ET (MSG)
This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping, Page Six, and Decider.com.
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article → get → Shopping
Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service.
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Angela → keep → service
Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture.
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she → test → shopping
When she’s not writing about (or watching) TV, movies, and sports, she’s also keeping up on the underrated perfume dupes at Bath & Body Works and testing headphones.
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she → write → headphones
Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
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she → join → Reviews
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