The New York Islanders face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs in their season opener, presenting contrasting approaches to building a competitive roster. The Islanders, led by young defenseman Matthew Schaefer, have adopted a more patient strategy under general manager Mathieu Darche, while the Maple Leafs, guided by new GM John Chayka, have aggressively rebuilt their team with 11 new regulars following the draft of Gavin McKenna. Despite the Leafs’ aggressive moves and shorter odds to make the playoffs at -122, the Islanders are favored at +290 for a strong start due to their defensive game plan under head coach Pete DeBoer, though concerns remain about the team's current depth and ability to generate offense with key player Mat Barzal injured.
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 get their season started against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.
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season → get → night
Eighteen months ago, the hockey gods smiled on the Islanders by gifting them a win in the Draft Lottery, which allowed the club to select Matthew Schaefer.
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club → smile → Schaefer
Logic would suggest that the Isles should have moved heaven and earth to make the team around Schaefer better as quickly as possible, but general manager Mathieu Darche has opted to take a more patient approach, for better or worse.
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Darche → suggest → approach
John Chayka, the new general manager of the Maple Leafs, has gone in a different direction in a similar situation.
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Chayka → go → situation
Three months ago, Toronto was blessed by the hockey gods and won the 2026 Draft Lottery, which allowed the Leafs to take Gavin McKenna.
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Leafs → bless → McKenna
Instead of being patient, Chayka quickly revamped the team.
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Chayka → revamp → team
He brought in 11 new regulars, including Kirill Marchenko, just two days ago.
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He → bring → Marchenko
While the fanbase in Toronto has been reinvigorated after a lousy 2025-26 campaign, the Islanders fanbase is simmering.
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fanbase → reinvigorate → campaign
The Leafs are now -122 to make the playoffs at FanDuel Sportsbook, while the Isles are +290, tied with Detroit for the longest odds in the Eastern Conference.
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Isles → make → Conference
If the Islanders are going to upset those odds, they’ll need to get off to a strong start.
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they → go → start
This team just doesn’t have the talent, especially with Mat Barzal injured, to make up ground.
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Barzal → have → ground
The path to a strong start for the Islanders will have to be back to front.
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path → have → front
The Isles don’t have the offensive firepower to overwhelm teams, so they’ll need to try and smother them.
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they → have → them
On the surface, you’d think it could work.
uncertain
it → think → surface
They’ve certainly got the goaltender to pull it off, and one of head coach Pete DeBoer’s biggest strengths is getting his team organized in the defensive zone, but this blueline looks like it could be a real mess, especially with the puck.
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it → get → puck
Schaefer aside, the Islanders have one other defenseman, Tony DeAngelo, who can transport the biscuit, but he gives a lot of that back with his lack of acumen in front of goal.
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he → have → goal
Over time, this unit hopefully will get better under DeBoer, but I wouldn’t expect them to be well-drilled out of the gate.
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them → get → gate
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The Maple Leafs have a similar issue on their backend.
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Leafs → check → backend
Toronto added plenty of skill up front, but the Buds allowed the second-most goals in the NHL last season.
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Buds → add → NHL
I expect that problem will linger, as the Leafs seem hell-bent on becoming a team that wins 6-5 games, rather than one that will drill down to win 3-2 contests.
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that → expect → contests
In addition to the Over 6.5, I like the idea of backing Matias Maccelli to find the back of the net for the Islanders against his former team.
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I → like → team
Maccelli was a standout for the Isles in preseason and earned a premium spot in the top-six and on the power play.
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Maccelli → earn → play
You should get a great price on Maccelli, who is known more for his playmaking than his finishing.
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who → get → finishing
Matias Maccelli to score 1+ goals (+350, DraftKings)
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Maccelli → score → DraftKings
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry.
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Leboff → trust → industry
He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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punters → love → sports
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