The Islanders have spent early this season patching holes left by injuries to Mathew Barzal, Matias Maccelli and Calum Ritchie, and that has opened the door for some younger players to grab bigger minutes.
Victor Eklund has done more than just step through it.
The 20-year-old rookie scored his sixth goal of the season in Monday night’s 3-2 shootout loss to the San Jose Sharks, stretching his goal streak to three games. The finish also came on the power play, where Eklund was moved onto the Islanders’ top unit as the club keeps looking for answers with the man advantage.
Eklund cashed in quickly. Just 1:11 into the second period, he took a pass from Brayden Schenn and beat Yaroslav Askarov with a one-timer. It was another sign that the coaching staff’s confidence in the rookie keeps growing, and his numbers now sit at six goals and nine points in 17 games.
Selected 16th overall in the 2025 NHL Draft, Eklund got his first taste of the league in the final game of last season before winning a roster spot out of training camp. Since then, his nonstop motor and willingness to mix it up physically have made him awfully hard to bump out of the lineup.
He’s listed at 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, but he plays with far more force than that frame suggests. Through the Islanders’ first 16 games, he led the team with 47 hits, constantly finishing checks and hounding opponents on the forecheck.
Now the scoring is starting to match the edge.
That matters for a power play that has been searching for a spark. Eklund’s move to the top unit gives him a chance to prove he can be more than an energetic bottom-six forward, and with three goals in three games, he’s making a strong case that he belongs there.
In Other News...
Islanders Suddenly Look Like A Team Losing Its Identity
The Islanders latest stumble came in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Sharks, another night when their game looked too loose for a team that has built its reputation on structure and discipline. The winless streak has now stretched to four games, and the bigger concern is not just the results but the way they have drifted away from the connected, mistake-free style that once gave them such a clear identity.
Pete DeBoer and Bo Horvat both pointed to the same issue afterward: the Islanders need to get back to being more consistent and more reliable in their own end. When that foundation slips, the pressure builds quickly, and the margin for error shrinks even further. For a team that has long depended on doing the little things well, the challenge now is less about finding a spark than rediscovering the habits that made them effective in the first place. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Victor Eklund Was At The Center Of A Heated NHL Debate
Victor Eklund found himself right in the middle of a chippy sequence that drew the attention of the NHL Department of Player Safety after the Islanders forward was roughed by San Joses Mason Marchment. The play started after Eklund delivered a hard hit to a Sharks player, and the response quickly escalated into the kind of scrum that can shift the tone of a game and linger well after the final whistle.
Marchment was assessed two minor penalties on the sequence, and the league later issued a fine that will go to the NHL Players Emergency Assistance Fund. For the Islanders, it was another reminder that Eklunds physical edge can draw a reaction, and in a league that watches those moments closely, the aftermath can become part of the conversation just as fast as the hit itself. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Are Wasting Another Strong Sorokin Stretch
Ilya Sorokin has been giving the Islanders exactly the kind of goaltending they need in the early part of the 2026-27 season, but it has not been enough to cover for the rest of the roster. Over the last two games, he has posted a .918 save percentage while facing a heavy workload, a familiar pattern for a team that has spent too much time defending and not enough time controlling play.
Bo Horvat has already pointed to the larger issue, which is that the Islanders have to do a better job in front of their goaltender if they want this stretch to mean something. The shot attempts keep piling up against them, the offensive support has been too thin, and until the team starts easing the pressure on Sorokin, another strong run in net risks becoming just another wasted one. [Read more 🡒]