Islanders regular-season finale will have…
Game 82 of 2025-26 appears to be like set to be the first preseason sport of 2026-27.
After the Islanders had been formally eradicated from playoff competition on Sunday with a 4-1 loss to the Canadiens, coach Pete DeBoer indicated he’d like to use the last sport of the season — a home match against Carolina on Tuesday — to “see as many guys as possible.”
That might have been a nod to Victor Eklund, who could possibly be in line to make his NHL debut after serving to AHL Bridgeport clinch a playoff spot on Sunday night time, though it’s unclear whether or not the Isles will call up the Swede.
Certainly, it looks as if Isaiah George ought to play, and that some call-ups might occur.
“I’ll have to talk to Mathieu [Darche] about roster and some things like that,” DeBoer said. “But for me, the more guys I can see in game action that are potentially part of this going forward, I think that’s important.”
Islanders defenseman Isaiah George (36) runs a drill during observe at the Northwell Health Ice Center, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, in East Meadow, NY. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
Hired a week in the past Sunday, DeBoer was in the awkward place of dealing with a devastated group after just his third sport in charge.
“I’m disappointed,” DeBoer said. “I do know they had been in a great spot a month in the past, or popping out of the Olympic break, most likely. Lots of work goes into that. I can only converse to the last seven days.
“These guys have had a lot of stuff thrown at them. One coach left, a new coach came in. A lot of new stuff. So they’re wearing that a little bit and you feel for them. I can tell you I’m proud they didn’t quit. They played right to the buzzer tonight. We know we’ve got a lot of work to do here, but there’s a lot of good things too.”
Ondrej Palat was a healthy scratch, with Anthony Duclair coming into the lineup for just the second time in the Islanders’ last 11 video games.
Islanders head coach Peter DeBoer responds to questions from reporters during press convention after an NHL hockey sport against the Montreal Canadiens Sunday, April 12, 2026, in Elmont, N.Y. AP
Ilya Sorokin began his ninth straight sport in web and has now appeared in 14 straight, courting back almost a month.
Coach Pete DeBoer ruled out any chance of Alexander Romanov returning from shoulder surgical procedure in the common season. The Islanders had preferred Romanov’s possibilities of returning in the playoffs since he received harm in mid-November, but with a playoff berth extremely unlikely, it now seems he received’t be back until training camp.
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