The New York Islanders will not have to share a division with Quinn Hughes, at least not yet. Despite the New Jersey Devils' attempt to bring the Vancouver Canucks defenseman aboard, news broke on Friday night that the Minnesota Wild have acquired Hughes in a blockbuster deal:

Anders Lee scored twice and had two assists, and David Rittich made 31 saves as the New York Islanders beat the Anaheim Ducks 5-2 on Thursday night. Simon Holmstrom had a goal and two assists and defensemen Travis Mitchell and Ryan Pulock each scored as the Islanders won for the fifth time in six games.

The New York Islanders beat the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, 5-2, at home. They are 5-1 in their last six games, catapulting into third place in the Metropolitan Division. Islanders captain Anders Lee spoke with MSG Network's Shannon Hogan about his four-point night and the blistering hot Isles.

The Islanders are a flawed hockey team, but they are winning games in a conference where no one really looks like a traditional Stanley Cup contender.

Bo Horvat scored twice and Emil Heineman scored the only goal of the shootout as the Isles rallied from a 2-0 deficit and overcame a Pavel Dorofeyev tying goal with 14 seconds to play to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights 5-4 before 13,554 at UBS Arena.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders NHL game to be played on December 13, 2025 on ESPN.

With Schaefer on the ice, HockeyStats shows the Islanders are averaging 2.59 expected goals per 60 minutes, compared to 2.09 expected goals against. He is leading the charge on both ends of the ice. The Islanders can aggravate opponents by playing keepaway in the offensive zone while disallowing momentum going the other way.

Snapshots from the New York Islanders optional practice on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. Photos by Madison Peyser/New York Islanders and Imani Washington/New York Islanders.