New York Islanders: NHL Will Decide Where Playoff Games Are Held

Gary Bettman said yesterday that the league will have final say as to where the New York Islanders will play their home playoff games.

The New York Islanders surprising 29-15-5 start has presented some questions that nobody expected we’d have to answer this year. The biggest one is; where will the Islanders play their home playoff games?

Now, I understand that some are apprehensive to mention the “p-word” in hopes not to jinx anything, but with a 91.1 percent chance to make the playoffs and one of the best coaches in the league, a second-half collapse seems unlikely.

This year, the Islanders are splitting time at Nassau Coliseum and the Barclays Center. It’s an unfavorable scenario, but fans and players alike will take any chance at playing at Nassau Coliseum that they can get.

So ever since the Islanders began their hot streak, climbing the Metropolitan Division, people have begun to hypothesize on where the Isles will be playing playoff games. The consensus among the fans is the Coliseum makes the most sense.

The Islanders seem to have a huge advantage when they play at Nassau Coliseum. With multiple sellouts and playoff-like atmospheres at the Old Barn, NVMC although flawed, seems to be the preferred choice.

Sure, the concourse is still too small and the lines are long but compared to the Barclays poor ice, obstructed seats, and the lack of a home-ice advantage the Coliseum is the clear choice.

Despite that, the NHL Commissioner would not say where the Islanders home playoff games would be.

"“I suppose the league has final say but at the appropriate time, all parties will get together and figure out what the best way to approach the playoffs would be — if the Islanders make the playoffs.”"

The fear now is that the league, in hopes to make more money, will play the games at the Barclays Center in order to fit more people into the arena. Would they do it at the expense of the fans and the team?

I certainly wouldn’t put it past the NHL. Everyone knows where the games should be played but that doesn’t guarantee where they will end up playing these games come April and May.