New York Islanders games are on MSG Sportsnet, and 74 of the 84 are available locally. The complication is how you get it. If your provider is Comcast Xfinity or DISH you cannot, and have not been able to for years. And if you stream it through the Gotham Sports App, that app is being shut down mid-season and replaced by DAZN — at a price nobody has announced.
Which channel are Islanders games on?
MSG Sportsnet. DIRECTV carries it on 635 and MSG on 634, Optimum on 87, Spectrum on 27 and Verizon Fios on 78, with limited Cox carriage. Among streaming television services, only DIRECTV Stream and Fubo have it.
Why can’t I get MSG on my provider?
Because Comcast Xfinity and DISH both dropped MSG Networks years ago and neither has returned. If either is your television provider, no package upgrade will get you Islanders games — the channel is not there to buy. Your options are a direct streaming subscription or a different provider.
What is happening to the Gotham Sports App?
It is being retired. MSG Networks and the YES Network announced on 29 July 2026 that DAZN becomes their exclusive direct-to-consumer streaming home, and the Gotham Sports App will be sunset. The migration happens during this season rather than before it, with reporting pointing at the period after the World Series ends in November — that timing is an inference from the companies’ language, not an announced date.
What will it cost?
Not announced. DAZN has not published a price for MSG content. The current Gotham subscription is $29.99 a month or $279.99 a year for MSG+, which covers the Islanders, Rangers, Devils, Sabres and Knicks, and $34.99 a month for the bundle that adds YES. Existing subscribers have been told access continues uninterrupted through the migration, and anyone who already receives MSG in a television package gets DAZN at no extra cost.
How many games are available locally?
Seventy-four of 84. Ten are national exclusives: two on ESPN, three on TNT, truTV or HBO Max, and five streaming on ESPN+, Disney+ or Hulu.
Who calls the games?
Brendan Burke on play-by-play with Butch Goring on colour, Shannon Hogan reporting and hosting and Thomas Hickey analysing. Radio is on WRHU 88.7 FM out of Hofstra, in its fifteenth season, and WRCN 103.9, with Alan Fuehring calling around 70 games — usually alone — and the television call simulcast on radio for the dozen or so games where Fuehring covers for Burke.
When do the Islanders open?
Wednesday 30 September, away at Toronto. It is the launch game of Prime Video’s Wednesday Night Hockey in Canada, though the United States broadcast arrangement has not been confirmed. The home opener is Saturday 3 October against New Jersey at UBS Arena.
| Local network | MSG Sportsnet |
|---|---|
| Cable and satellite | DIRECTV 635 · Optimum 87 · Spectrum 27 · Verizon Fios 78 · limited Cox · DIRECTV Stream and Fubo |
| Not available on | Comcast Xfinity and DISH |
| Streaming | Gotham Sports App, moving to DAZN mid-season |
| Price | $29.99 a month or $279.99 a year on Gotham now; DAZN price not announced |
| Free over the air | No |
| Games available locally | 74 of 84 |
| Blackout territory | New York State, northern and central New Jersey, south-western and south-eastern Connecticut, north-eastern Pennsylvania |
| Radio | WRHU 88.7 FM and WRCN 103.9 — Alan Fuehring |
| TV team | Brendan Burke, Butch Goring, Shannon Hogan, Thomas Hickey |
| National TV games | 10 |
| Opening night | Wed 30 September, at Toronto; home opener Sat 3 October v New Jersey |
Last verified 7 September 2026. Prices and carriage change — see our guide to watching every NHL team in 2026-27 for the national packages and how blackouts work.
