Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting and Winning for the NY Islanders

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday

Saturday Saturday, Saturday

Saturday, Saturday

Saturday night's alright.

The Elton John classic should be the official song of the New York Islanders this season. The team has been weekend warriors this year, winning eight straight on Saturdays following their 3-2 OT win over the Carolina Hurricanes last night at UBS Arena.

Overall, the Isles have won six of those eight at home, with two coming on the road.

With the win, the Islanders are over NHL .500 for the first time since Nov. 14 with a record of 21-20-7. The splits between Saturday and the other six days of the week are staggering. The team is 14-13-3 over their 30 games are 6-13-3 in games that don't drop the puck on Saturday. In fact,10 of their last 14 wins have come on the weekend.

It's an anomaly for sure, though Saturday night home games during the regular season commonly do have some extra juice and more lively fans than during the week. That enthusiasm leads to more of a home-ice advantage and larger crowds at UBS Arena. The crowd was needed last night as the Isles fell behind 2-0 to the powerhouse Canes but rallied to tie the game in the 3rd on Anders Lee's 21st of the season before Brock Nelson's game-winner in overtime.

The Islanders are nearing the completion of a season-long seven-game homestand. With four straight wins, they have moved to 11-11-2 at UBS Arena this season. Seven more Saturday games remain on the schedule, so the Islanders must find ways to carry their weekend momentum to the rest of the week to continue their mid-season climb from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to a playoff spot.