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Emily KaplanESPN
If the New York Islanders make the playoffs, they’ll play their postseason games in Long Island at the Nassau Coliseum – for the first round, that is.
All subsequent rounds would be played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the team announced Friday.
According to the release, the decision to play the later rounds in Brooklyn is “reflecting that the Nassau Coliseum does not qualify as an NHL major league facility.”
The unusual arrangement punctuates a nomadic season for the Islanders, who have split time between Barclays and the Coliseum. The Islanders plan on playing in a yet-to-be-built arena at Belmont Park, beginning in the 2021-22 season.
At 34-17-6 and in first place in the Metropolitan Division, New York has been one of the best surprise stories of the NHL. The Islanders were projected to be in rebuilding mode when franchise center John Tavares left in free agency. But behind new coach Barry Trotz, new general manager Lou Lamoriello, an inspired defensive structure and breakout goaltending (Thomas Greiss and Robin Lehner are No. 1 and No. 2 in league save percentage, respectively), the Islanders have thrived.
And yet, their arena situation has been less than ideal and has been clouded by uncertainty. The Islanders spent their first 43 years of existence at the Coliseum before moving to Brooklyn in 2015. It was never an easy marriage as a majority of the team’s fan base hails from Long Island and the Barclays’ Center, build with the Brooklyn Nets in mind, includes some obstructed views for hockey.
The Coliseum has 13,197 seats, the lowest capacity in the NHL – the next closest is Bell MTS Place in Winnipeg, which seats 15,321. Barclays fits 15,795 as a hockey venue. Barclays also outnumbers the Coliseum in suites (Brooklyn has close to 100 suites while the Coliseum has roughly 10). The Coliseum underwent massive renovations since the Islanders left.
At NHL All-Star Weekend in San Jose, commissioner Gary Bettman said the league would have the final say of where the Islanders would play their postseason games.
“All parties will get together and figure out what the best way to approach the playoffs would be,” Bettman said.
In announcing the playoff arrangement, the Islanders said the decision was made following consultation with Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office.
Several Nassau County politicians campaigned to have New York’s 2019 postseason games be played at the Coliseum. County Executive Laura Curran wrote a letter to Bettman on Feb. 4 – which she later shared on Twitter.
On behalf of all those in #NassauCounty who bleed orange and blue, today I wrote to NHL Commissioner Bettman asking him to give our Islanders the chance to make a bid for the Stanley Cup at the Nassau Coliseum.
#FortNeverLose #LGI pic.twitter.com/9vmYM63f8V— Laura Curran (@NassauExecutive) February 5, 2019