New York Islanders Playoff Games Must Be at the Coliseum

The New York Islanders are going to make the playoffs unless something catastrophic happens to this squad. Even if injuries occur the coaching staff and the depth of this team would find a way. In terms of home playoff games for the Islanders, it must be the Coliseum.

The New York Islanders for a whole host of reasons have to play their home playoff games at the Coliseum. The final decision is with the league and Gary Bettman. Bettman has to do right by the Islanders.

Building Something

The Islanders organization are building something special. It’s the perfect timing as the Isles are just two and a half years away from opening a state of the art building in Belmont.

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The Islander organization needs to continue the forward momentum they are building. The Islander games at the Barclays Center this year have been a sporting event, while the contests at the Coliseum have been a happening.

The Islanders need to continue moving forward as an organization. That will go a long way to making Belmont a huge success from day one. A huge success also means every home game is sold out, which includes the luxury boxes.

The league needs to look at the forest and not the trees in regards to the Islanders current path to Belmont.

Write the Check if Necessary

If Bettman and the NHL league office are going to be penny-wise and pound-foolish, Islanders majority owner Scott Malkin needs to do what’s best for his franchise. Malkin needs to sit down with Bettman and break out the checkbook and tell him how much is it going to cost me.

If necessary Malkin can write a check for the difference of the extra seats in the stands (little under 2,000) and the number of extra sky boxes that would have been sold.

Malkin and Lou Lamoriello need to make sure Bettman understands how important it is for the Isles to play their playoff games at the Coliseum for both the short and long-term. The Islanders are a tougher team to beat at the Coliseum than the Barclays Center. The main reason being when the Isles hit the Coliseum ice that building is on fire.

Malkin needs to tell Bettman that the organization is trying to build something big here and this is not the time to be short-sighted for a few extra dollars.

Finally, while the league always states how important their fans are, this is an opportunity for them to prove it. Playing playoff games at the Coliseum is something that should happen for this franchise.