Home openers for Islanders and Rangers announced
Matthew Schaefer of the New York Islanders is introduced before the home opener against the Washington Capitals at UBS Arena on Oct. 11, 2025. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The home openers for the Islanders and Rangers were announced on Wednesday. The full 84-game schedule will be revealed on Thursday.
The Islanders, in their first full season under coach Pete DeBoer and second with Matthew Schaefer on the team, will host the Devils on Oct. 3 at UBS Arena at 7:30 p.m. The Rangers play the Lightning at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 1 in their home opener.
But that won’t be the Rangers’ season opener. Instead, they will face the Bruins in Boston on Sept. 29 with an 8 p.m. faceoff. That match is part of an ESPN-televised tripleheader for the league’s opening day.
Also on Sept. 29, the Stanley Cup-champion Hurricanes will host the Panthers, who won back-to-back Cups in 2024 and 2025, at 5 p.m. Vegas, which lost a six-game Cup Final to the Hurricanes, will host Chicago at 10:30 p.m.
The Rangers will also be the opponent for the Red Wings’ home opener in Detroit on Oct. 2.
The reconstructed Belmont Park re-opens for live racing on Sept. 18 after being closed since July 9, 2023. The Islanders’ home opener is the same day the track hosts a racing card that features six graded stakes, including the Grade 1s Frizette and Champagne.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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