Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Rock. Paper. Scissors says shoot!
… and with that defeat of Ross Johnston, Oliver Wahlstrom was the first Islander to touch the new sheet of ice at UBS Arena at practice on Thursday.
There was a much-needed buzz around the team for practice (more on that below). For an afternoon, their four-game losing streak, recent injuries, and position in the standings were put aside as they reveled in being home in their new home.
In this edition, Salo is summoned from Bridgeport, a tribute to the out-of-town fanbase, and know before you go information to help fans attending on Saturday.
Let’s dive in.
📰 NEWS: The Islanders took to the ice for the first time at UBS Arena before Saturday’s home opener. Safe to say they were a little excited to try out the new digs. Forward Josh Bailey is still in Florida quarantining after being diagnosed with COVID on Tuesday and Ryan Pulock was seen on crutches on the bench with his teammates after it was announced on Wednesday he would be out the next four to six weeks with a lower-body injury.
LITTLE SURREAL: “It's pretty surreal, to be honest,” Islanders captain Anders Lee said after practice Thursday. “A lot of guys have been here a long time and a lot of talk about a lot of different things, different arenas and half-seasons in places. It's just always one of those conversation points you have, and now that it's here it's almost a little surreal.”
PEP IN THE STEP: “The best I can describe it to anybody is it felt like we've done the Winter Classic and those NHL [Stadium] series games,” Barry Trotz said. “It's got a different feel. There was a little pep in the step.”
PRETTY LUCKY: “Absolutely blew me away,” said Mat Barzal. “I walked right in, saw the gym, saw our eating area and I couldn't wait to see more. The entire facility, the rink, and how it's set up, it's so high-end. I can't even tell you how nice it is down here (in the locker room). We're a pretty lucky group.”
🔃 ROBIN RECALLED: With Pulock sidelined, the Isles elected to bring up the 23-year-old left-shot defenseman, Robin Salo from Bridgeport. Through 14 games with the Jr. Islanders, Salo registered eight points (2G, 6A) to lead all defensemen. Drafted 46th overall (second round, 2017), the Finnish blue-liner made the transition to North America this off-season after spending the previous five seasons playing in top-tier professional leagues in both Finland and Sweden. Salo will wear No. 2
HE’S THE GUY: “From all reports out of Bridgeport and then what we saw of him out of preseason he is a guy that is deserving of at least an opportunity,” Trotz said of Salo.
GREAT IQ: “A super-smart d-man, who moves really well,” Barzal said of Salo. “Has great hands. I think he has a great IQ for the game. It's going to be nice to see him up with us. Hopefully, he gets in the lineup.”
⛸ BIG SKATES TO FILL: The Islanders were having difficulty finding their defensive game even prior to Ryan Pulock’s injury. Now, with one of their stalwarts out, it is even more imperative that they re-commit to the style that has made them successful. Barry Trotz spoke about what needs to change to get back on track.
FILL THE VOID: “Other guys have to step up,” Trotz said. “The biggest thing I can take from the last time that it happened to us is we said ‘Ok we don’t have (Pelech) so we’re going to have to score more.’ Well not necessarily. We just have to score at the same rate and make sure we take care of business and other guys fill that void. I don’t think we totally did that.”
RIGHT MINDSET: “We just have to say we’ll score three goals a game, we just have to make sure the other team doesn’t score four,” Trotz said. “If we have that mindset then we’re going to get points every night and win some hockey games. I think that’s where we got off track a little bit.”
STAYING TO OUR IDENTITY: “We said we were going to cover it up offensively and what happened? We were looser and we’re not built as a really good offensive team. We just aren’t. … We’re better off doing what we do and staying to our identity.”
⏭ NEXT UP: It’s one more sleep til’ Belmont.
📊 STANDINGS:
Built for the fans and with the fans
by Joe Buono
If you created a focus group of Islanders fans and asked them what features they would want in their new home, you’d get UBS Arena.
That didn’t happen by chance, it happened by design. “We built this with hundreds of feedback points from each and every fan,” said co-owner Jon Ledecky. “We wandered around the Nassau Coliseum and Barclays Center and took copious notes on what they wanted.”
Have you ever sat at a game with your buddies and said, “You know what would be cool? If they …” Well, unlike your buddy, the organization listened and had the wherewithal and desire to turn it into a reality. That’s why the ceiling is only 7 feet higher than Nassau Coliseum, it’s why Offside Tavern found new life and why the IslesMeetup group logos are hanging in the rafters.
“They wanted a supporters section, they wanted to be able to stand and enjoy the game together and have a meeting place, added Ledecky. “They gave us details far and wide, very niche things that we needed to do.”
It’s an arena built for the Isles Family, a sometimes raucous, always passionate family of fanatics that wanted to maintain the community feel of the Coliseum in a state-of-the-art arena. Yes, it could be corporate, but not a stuffy corporate, not a Rangers corporate. “Inclusion was the word that our fan base said. We want everyone to feel like they can participate and be a part of it,” Ledecky said. “We don’t want to see corporate suits.”
“I want them to appreciate that they’re at home. This is their home.”
When the Islanders are playing, UBS Arena will host a blue (and orange) collar crowd. A crowd that can take pride in the building they long-awaited and helped inspire with an ownership group that asked what the fans wanted and gave it to them.
🚗 PARKING: The Islanders made a note on Thursday that parking for Saturday’s opener will be open 2.5 hours before the game for fans to get adjusted to the new setup. For the rest of the season, lots open two hours prior to puck drop.
For a good listen on the parking learning curve, the limits on the train service, and the enforcement of “no tailgating, no honking” check out David Lazar’s interview with Newsday’s Jim Baumbach on the Bleav in Islanders podcast.
🛴 ROCKING RYAN: Ryan Pulock could be seen on a scooter during the Islanders’ skate on Thursday. Where can we get one of those by the way?
👩🏫 SOUND SMART: To find the last time the Islanders were 5-6-2 through their first 13 road games, you'd have to go all the way back to … last season.
🗓 ISLE REMEMBER:
🔗 Islanders owner Jon Ledecky on fans as UBS Arena opens: ‘This is their home’, by Joe Pantorno, amNY: “Inclusion was the word that our fan base said. We want everyone to feel like they can participate and be a part of it,” Ledecky said. “We don’t want to see corporate suits. We want to be part of the fans and they can interact with each other whether they’re buying the best seat in the house or the Bob Uecker seat [last row], the democratization of the fan base was incredibly important to them.”
🔗 Islanders from oldest to youth movement after leaving Florida, by Michael Anderson, Eyes on Isles: “Of the team's top-six forwards, four are still considered young. That youth is being asked to lead the line offensively for the Islanders. On the blueline three are young but only two will play of course. Whichever those two are will be asked to be the two primary puck carriers out of the D-zone.”
🎧 Isle Seat Podcast - The Moment Has Arrived, by Mike Carver, Action Park Media: “The Islanders finally open their new arena at Belmont Park this weekend, Mike talks about that and the tough end to the Isles 13 game road trip with Brian Compton from NHL.com.”
🎧 Hockey Press Pass -Brian Compton and Chris Reunite, Shake Their Heads and Rejoice over the Islanders Finally Having a New Arena, by Chris Botta: “As the Islanders jubilantly open their new arena, a reunion with our friend Brian Compton was necessary for Press Pass. We hope you’ll enjoy the show as Chris and Brian express their disbelief that the NYI finally have their own new barn in UBS Arena and — despite the shaky opening to this season — also have a good team.”
And we leave you with this… Sidelined Islanders D-man Ryan Pulock via his Instagram taking in UBS Arena for the first time and acknowledging he can’t wait to hear how loud the fans are when the building opens on Saturday night.
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