The New York Islanders Look for a Hot Start to the Season

The New York Islanders are preparing to open their NHL regular season on the road against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Writer Glenn Brewer highlights that head coach Peter DeBoer's team faces four games in their first eight days, including matchups against the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, and Chicago Blackhawks.

Brewer reports that Mathew Barzal is expected to miss the opener with an anticipated return against the Rangers, while Semyon Varlamov will back up Ilya Sorokin. Brewer argues that while a slow start is possible under DeBoer's new system, the Islanders have the potential to steady their course by the holidays.