ISLANDERS COULD SOON BE HEADED BACK HOME

The New York Islanders playing at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn — an arena build for basketball and concerts — has never quite felt right. Some sight lines and the scoreboard are cockeyed, and players and team staff actually take a commuter train to and from the arena from their homes on Long Island.

Most significantly, the attendance numbers have been a calamity: The Isles, having left behind their loyal far base on Long Island, were averaging only 12,773 after 29 home dates. Only Carolina, at 12,004, is a poorer draw. In the Isles’ final season at the obsolete Nassau Coliseum, they averaged 15,334.

But the Islanders’ home for their first 43 years has been rebuilt and modernized, and a report last week by Long Island’s Newsday offers hope that the organization’s misguided move to Brooklyn could be reversed, with the Isles moving back into the refurbished Coliseum.

Consider this statement from Nassau County executive Edward Mangano: “There is a path for the Islanders to return to the new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum where the best sight lines in NHL remain, improved attractive facilities for fans and athletes and room to add seats to accommodate the Islanders. While the decision remains with the Islanders, we believe Long Island fans will make the Islanders successful in the new Coliseum.”

Newsday said the Isles have the right to opt out of their 25-year lease at Barclays as soon as next January. And Barclays, maybe recognizing the Isles were not a great fit to begin with, are said to be OK with it if the team wants to leave.