Hockey Night in Brooklyn, Isles Ready to Officially Open New Home

Jaroslav Halak (Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports)

We have waited all summer for this, after a short run in the playoffs and a slow off-season the New York Islanders are ready to drop the puck in Brooklyn!

A little bit of Long Island will be bringing its way to the BK stage, Alexa Ray Joel, daughter of Billy Joel, will be singing the national anthem on opening night. Billy Joel preformed at the Coliseum this summer to close down the old barn.

The New York Islanders have had a rough pre-season run, ending this past Sunday with a devastating loss against their 2015 Playoff rivals the Washington Capitals, 6-2. Their pre-season record was 2-6-0; the Isles have suffered some injuries along with the adjustment of their new home, so the disappointing pre-season shouldn’t be too concerning.

The Isles take on the reigning Stanley Cup champs, Chicago Blackhawks, in a back-to-back game opening this weekend. Friday night in Brooklyn, Saturday in the windy city.

The New York Islanders announced their 23-man roster; lineup includes three goalies, seven defensemen and 13 forwards:

Goaltenders: Jean-Francois Berube (picked up on waiver from the LA Kings), Thomas Greiss, Jaroslav Halak

Defensemen: Johnny Boychuk, Calvin de Haan, Travis Hamonic, Nick Leddy, Ryan Pulock, Brian Strait, Marek Zidlicky

Forwards: Josh Bailey, Steve Bernier, Casey Cizikas, Cal Clutterbuck, Mikhail Grabovski, Nikolay Kulemin, Anders Lee, Matt Martin, Brock Nelson, Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo, Ryan Strome, John Tavares

Injured Reserve: Thomas Hickey

Due to Thomas Hickey being placed on IR, if Ryan Pulock gets the start this will be his first NHL game. Pulock scored a career-high 63 points (23g/40a) in 66 games during his fourth season with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League and was also named to the WHL East First All-Star Team. Pulock made his professional and AHL debut on April 14, 2015 against the Adirondack.

October has always been a strong month for the Isles; let’s hope tradition brings its way to the new home.