Fish Sticks; Home cookin’ at the Coliseum is a real thing

It may not seem that way given that the Islanders have played just okay over the past few weeks, but they’ve gotten a huge boost from coming back to Long Island.  Against three good teams they managed to take five out of a possible six points so far.  Realistically, they should have won the game against the Penguins.  Either way, they’re 2-0-1 at Nassau Coliseum and look to use the crowd to their advantage.

After the Islanders’ first victory over Columbus at the old barn, Barry Trotz stated that playing their games at the Coli could give them a boost and “possibly a dozen points”.  It’s not just an opinion, it’s a fact that Long Island is where the Islanders should play.  Construction hasn’t gotten started on the new Belmont arena, so the Isles may be in limbo for the next few years.  If that’s the case, they should play every single home game at the Coliseum.

Forget about the venue size for a second.  The Islanders have had a sellout in all three games at the Coli.  They can use that as leverage to have a full time schedule there.  How many people go to the games at the Barclays Center now, maybe 9,000 on a decent night?

Add in the fact that most concessions aren’t even open in Brooklyn and they’re losing more money than they would ever lose at the Coliseum.  Yes there have been lean years in Uniondale but that’s because Richard Park was a first line winger, not because the fans don’t care.

The Islanders should continue to have success so long as the fans show up.  The NHL needs to make the decision NOW to have the Islanders play their games at the Coliseum full time until Belmont is built.  It’s such a huge advantage for the team, it’s always a great night for the fans, and it makes the players’ lives so much easier.  Instead of having to lug all their equipment on a train, they can drive five minutes.  Home cookin’ is a real thing.  Let’s make this temporarily permanent.