Isles Day to Day: Practice Updates, Oct. 2, 2026
News, notes and quotes from Friday's New York Islanders practice
By Shannon Bickert and Cory Wright October 02, 2026 Link copied After Wednesday's season-opening loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Head Coach Pete DeBoer tweaked his line combos during Friday's practice at Northwell Health Ice Center.
Emil Heineman – Bo Horvat – Kyle Palmieri Simon Holmström – JG Pageau – Anthony Duclair Victor Eklund – Cal Ritchie – Brayden Schenn Ondřej Palát – Casey Cizikas – Matias Maccelli Kyle MacLean
Adam Pelech – Matthew Schaefer Alexander Romanov – Ryan Pulock Logan Stanley – Tony DeAngelo Matthew Kessel – Scott Mayfield
Snapshots from the New York Islanders practice at Northwell Health Ice Center on Oct. 2, 2026. Photos by Madison Peyser/New York Islanders
Friday's lines looked closer to how the Islanders ended Wednesday's game rather than how it started.
"We're looking for chemistry on all our lines," DeBoer said. "We're looking to see what clicks. We're going to keep trying things until we get some combinations that that feel really good. I don't like to flip lines around."
"I don't think it's any secret we haven't scored a lot of five on five goals, even through exhibition," DeBoer added. "So we've got to find some some combinations that work there."
Emil Heineman was elevated mid-game to a line with Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri, a spot the Swedish winger spent time last season.