The Islanders finally return home to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum tonight as they take on their division rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Islanders had a very successful 5-2 road trip and I expect a playoff style atmosphere and a rabid crowd tonight at the old barn. It seems like all season we have talked about how difficult the schedule is and with the Penguins tonight, the Canadiens tomorrow and the Flyers Monday, the Isles path gets no smoother. However, every time this team looks to have a challenge they answer the bell and win games. Jaroslav Halak will get the start tonight and we should see Chad Johnson in Montreal tomorrow. Halak was named as an injury replacement to Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard and will join John Tavares in Columbus for the All-star game. I know everyone would have preferred that Jaro get some time off and fear an injury, but this is still an honor for him.
Mikhail Grabovski and Lubomir Visnovsky are still injured we will see the same lineup that shutout the Rangers on Tuesday night. The Isles had all four lines rolling against the Rangers and they will need a similar effort tonight against a Pens team that is still racking up points despite being hammered with injuries and illness.
It is really amazing what winning does as tonight’s game will be sold out and the cheapest tickets on stub hub start at 65 dollars. This time last year I was paying 8 to 10 dollars for seats and my playoff ticket against the Pens two years ago only cost around 60. The die-hard fan has never wavered and all of us are being rewarded right now with a playoff style crowd at every home game. It is good that the community is out and is making this a very fashionable ticket.
More importantly though, when this building is packed and rocking the Isles have a clear home ice advantage and the players themselves feed off of your energy. I know home ice in the playoffs is only as good as how your goalie is playing but if the Islanders can secure this advantage they will have an edge. You fans are making it hard for the visiting team to play here and this crowd is giving the Islanders a Seattle Seahawks style edge. If this team is fortunate enough to make the playoffs and host game one, just close your eyes for a second and imagine the scene. The best word to describe what you see is special. One last run at the Coliseum will simply be special. As always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.