Long road trip starts season
Islanders open play with 13 away games while their new arena is completed
The New York Islanders know what it means to play away from home for a long time. They spent nearly two months in Canada for the 2020 playoff bubble — reaching the Eastern Conference final — after the pandemic disrupted the season.
They now face a record-setting stretch without a home game: The Islanders will begin the season with 13 straight road games while construction of their sparkling new UBS Arena is completed. It is the secondlongest road trip in NHL history — Vancouver had 14 in a row during the 2009-10 season, but that included the NHL’S Olympic break — and the longest to open a season.
New York won’t play at home until Nov. 20, more than five weeks into the season.
“It’ll be a challenge for sure,” center Brock Nelson said. “Probably the longest trip most of us have had outside of the bubble, which was unique in itself, so maybe we’ll lean on that personal experience of what we’ve done in the past. We have a tight-knit group, guys you can get together on days off, do some fun things, hang out, build some chemistry, take it one game, one day at a time and try to power through this and come up with a positive record on the other side.”
Playing a few more games at Nassau Coliseum wasn’t an option, so the NHL drew up a schedule that puts 13 road games on the Islanders’ slate over 33 days. There are trips to Canada, to Arizona and two to Florida as the Isles crisscross the country.
Coach Barry Trotz said he isn’t worried about how his players will handle the opening road swing, having fostered a one-game-at-a-time approach during his three seasons with the team. Fatigue will be watched closely.
“We have a lot of trust in our group and we understand the situation,” Trotz said. “This group has been really great at that. They’re not complainers, they understand it. Life’s not always easy, and you know going on the road is actually, I think it’d be a good thing for us; we’ve been
at home for quite a while (for training camp). And I think an early road trip is always good and this will be good for this group.”
The Islanders have a strong home record under Trotz — combining to go 65-26-13 — and they have also had some success on the road at 50-41-11. The Islanders will also play seven straight away from home in April, with the two stretches combining for 20 of the season’s 41 road games.
The Islanders open the season at Carolina on Thursday night, and after reaching the semifinals the past two seasons, they know there are lofty expectations for the team this season.
“The goal stays the same,” forward Anthony Beauvillier said. “We want to get to the Stanley Cup, we want to get to the playoffs.