The NHL season is currently on pause due to the 2026 Winter Olympic break, which began after games on February 5 and will continue until games resume on February 25, 2026.
Islanders at the Olympics
While the team is off, two key islanders compete for gold in Milan:
Bo Horvat (Team Canada): The Islanders’ top center and leading scorer (24 goals) was selected to represent Canada. He will be expected to play a defensive/control role and contribute on the penalty kill for a stacked Canadian squad.
Ondrej Palat (Team Czech Republic): The newly acquired winger (see below) will represent his country. Palat is an Olympic veteran (Sochi 2014) and brings experience to a Czech team looking to surprise in the knockout stages.
Ilya Sorokin (rest): In particular, star goalkeeper Ilya Sorokin will not be present at the Olympic Games due to the ban on participation in the Russian national team. This is an important “win” for the Islanders, as their elite starter gets nearly three weeks of rest for the final playoff push.
Related – Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament
The play-off push and standings
The Islanders entered the break on a high note, winning their last two games (5-4 OT vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-1 vs. New Jersey Devils). They are third in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 32-21-5 (69 points).
They are firmly in the playoffs, but face a tight race with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals chasing them. The pause allows them to freeze and heal this momentum.
Major acquisitions
An important recent development is the acquisitions of Palat from the Devils and Carson Soucy from the New York Rangers.
Palat has already been selected in the top line alongside Horvat and Mathew Barzal. The trade adds a two-time Stanley Cup champion to the top six, addressing the need for veteran leadership and two-way play on the wing for the long run.
Youth Movement: Ritchie & Schaefer
Rookie forward Cal Ritchie returned to the lineup just before halftime (February 5) after missing six games due to a lower-body injury. He skates on a par with Jonathan Drouin and Emil Heineman.
18-year-old rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer continues to turn heads. He scored a goal on the final play before halftime, contributing offensive and quarterback power play units. He is currently a front-runner for the Calder Trophy, and it is widely believed that it is in large part his performance that has the Islanders front office buying aggressively ahead of the trade deadline.
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