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As long expected and nearly as long negotiated, the NHL has agreed to have its players participate in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, resulting in a two-week February break in the NHL schedule.
With that hurdle cleared, the NHL also released its regular season schedule, which has the New York Islanders opening in Newark to play the Devils Friday, Oct. 4, before welcoming new division brother Columbus to the Coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 5.
The name of that division means its colors might as well be blue and orange: The Metropolitan Division (even including Pittsburgh!). The old Atlantic moniker is transferred to the ashes of the old Northeast, which now includes the two Florida teams and the not-at-all-Atlantic-but-eminently-depressing Detroit and Buffalo.
Olympics
From the NHL release, which also includes the schedule of Olympic hockey games:
NHL players will be available to the 12 participating IIHF Member National Associations for the men's Olympic ice hockey tournament (February 12-23, 2014). This will mark the fifth consecutive time dating back to Nagano 1998 that NHL players have participated in the Olympics. More than 120 NHL players are expected to compete for their respective nations in Sochi.
Here are those 12 members, which include Michael Grabner's Austria but tragically leave Frans Nielsen's Denmark out, for the hockey gods work in mysterious ways.
Group A | Group B | Group C |
Russia | Austria | Czech Republic |
Slovenia | Canada | Latvia |
Slovakia | Finland | Switzerland |
United States | Norway | Sweden |
For the first time in five years, Switzerland's entry into a national tournament no longer concerns the Islanders now that Mark Streit and Nino Niederreiter have been traded. But it would be a shock if Hart Trophy finalist and Canadian star John Tavares isn't very busy in February when most of his teammates will be resting.
Other candidates include Lubomir Visnovsky for Slovakia and perhaps Kyle Okposo, who was not on the 2010 U.S. Olympic squad but has participated in three World Championships since then.
Islanders Regular Season Schedule
From the Islanders' official site:
October 2013
|
|||||||
Date | Visitor | Home | Time (ET) | TV Network/Results |
Tickets
|
||
Fri Oct 4 | Islanders | Devils |
7:00 PM | ||||
Sat Oct 5 | Blue Jackets | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Tue Oct 8 | Coyotes | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Fri Oct 11 | Islanders |
Blackhawks |
8:00 PM | NHLN-US | |||
Sat Oct 12 | Islanders |
Predators |
8:00 PM | ||||
Tue Oct 15 | Sabres | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Thu Oct 17 | Oilers | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Sat Oct 19 | Hurricanes | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Tue Oct 22 | Canucks | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Fri Oct 25 | Islanders |
Penguins |
7:00 PM | ||||
Sat Oct 26 | Flyers | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Tue Oct 29 | Rangers | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
November 2013
|
|||||||
Date | Visitor | Home | Time (ET) | TV Network/Results |
Tickets
|
||
Fri Nov 1 | Islanders |
Senators |
7:30 PM | ||||
Sat Nov 2 | Bruins | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Tue Nov 5 | Islanders |
Capitals |
7:00 PM | ||||
Thu Nov 7 | Islanders | Hurricanes |
7:00 PM | ||||
Sat Nov 9 | Islanders | Blue Jackets |
7:00 PM | ||||
Sun Nov 10 | Islanders |
Canadiens |
6:00 PM | RDS | |||
Tue Nov 12 | Predators | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Thu Nov 14 | Kings | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Sat Nov 16 | Red Wings | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Tue Nov 19 | Islanders |
Maple Leafs |
7:00 PM | ||||
Fri Nov 22 | Islanders | Penguins |
7:00 PM | ||||
Sat Nov 23 | Islanders | Flyers |
7:00 PM | ||||
Wed Nov 27 | Jets | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Fri Nov 29 | Red Wings | Islanders |
4:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Sat Nov 30 | Capitals | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
December 2013
|
|||||||
Date | Visitor | Home | Time (ET) | TV Network/Results |
Tickets
|
||
Tue Dec 3 | Penguins | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Thu Dec 5 | Islanders |
Blues |
8:00 PM | ||||
Sat Dec 7 | Islanders | Kings |
10:30 PM | ||||
Mon Dec 9 | Islanders |
Ducks |
10:00 PM | ||||
Tue Dec 10 | Islanders |
Sharks |
10:30 PM | ||||
Thu Dec 12 | Islanders | Coyotes |
9:00 PM | ||||
Sat Dec 14 | Canadiens | Islanders |
7:00 PM | CBC, RDS | Tickets | ||
Tue Dec 17 | Lightning | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Fri Dec 20 | Islanders | Rangers |
7:00 PM | ||||
Sat Dec 21 | Ducks | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Mon Dec 23 | Islanders | Red Wings |
7:30 PM | ||||
Sat Dec 28 | Devils | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Sun Dec 29 | Islanders |
Wild |
8:00 PM | ||||
Tue Dec 31 | Islanders | Bruins |
7:00 PM | ||||
January 2014
|
|||||||
Date | Visitor | Home | Time (ET) | TV Network/Results |
Tickets
|
||
Thu Jan 2 | Blackhawks | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Sat Jan 4 | Hurricanes | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Mon Jan 6 | Stars | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Tue Jan 7 | Islanders | Maple Leafs |
7:00 PM | ||||
Fri Jan 10 | Islanders |
Avalanche |
9:00 PM | ||||
Sun Jan 12 | Islanders | Stars |
6:00 PM | ||||
Tue Jan 14 | Islanders |
Panthers |
7:30 PM | ||||
Thu Jan 16 | Islanders | Lightning |
7:30 PM | ||||
Sat Jan 18 | Islanders | Flyers |
7:00 PM | ||||
Mon Jan 20 | Flyers | Islanders |
1:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Tue Jan 21 | Islanders | Rangers |
7:00 PM | ||||
Thu Jan 23 | Penguins | Islanders |
7:30 PM | NBCSN | Tickets | ||
Sat Jan 25 | Blues | Islanders |
1:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Mon Jan 27 | Bruins | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Wed Jan 29 | Rangers | Islanders |
7:00 PM | NBCSN | Tickets | ||
Fri Jan 31 | Islanders | Rangers |
7:00 PM | NHLN-US | |||
February 2014
|
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Date | Visitor | Home | Time (ET) | TV Network/Results |
Tickets
|
||
Tue Feb 4 | Islanders | Capitals |
7:30 PM | NBCSN | |||
Thu Feb 6 | Flames | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Sat Feb 8 | Avalanche | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Thu Feb 27 | Maple Leafs | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
March 2014
|
|||||||
Date | Visitor | Home | Time (ET) | TV Network/Results |
Tickets
|
||
Sat Mar 1 | Devils | Islanders |
1:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Sun Mar 2 | Panthers | Islanders |
3:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Tue Mar 4 | Islanders | Jets |
8:00 PM | ||||
Thu Mar 6 | Islanders | Oilers |
9:30 PM | ||||
Fri Mar 7 | Islanders | Flames |
9:00 PM | ||||
Mon Mar 10 | Islanders | Canucks |
10:00 PM | ||||
Fri Mar 14 | Sharks | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Sat Mar 15 | Sabres | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Tue Mar 18 | Wild | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Sun Mar 23 | Blue Jackets | Islanders |
1:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Tue Mar 25 | Islanders | Hurricanes |
7:00 PM | ||||
Thu Mar 27 | Islanders | Lightning |
7:30 PM | ||||
Sat Mar 29 | Devils | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
April 2014
|
|||||||
Date | Visitor | Home | Time (ET) | TV Network/Results |
Tickets
|
||
Tue Apr 1 | Panthers | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Wed Apr 2 | Islanders | Senators |
7:00 PM | ||||
Sat Apr 5 | Capitals | Islanders |
5:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Sun Apr 6 | Islanders | Blue Jackets |
6:00 PM | ||||
Tue Apr 8 | Senators | Islanders |
7:00 PM | Tickets | |||
Thu Apr 10 | Islanders | Canadiens |
7:30 PM | RDS | |||
Fri Apr 11 | Islanders | Devils |
7:30 PM | NBCSN | |||
Sun Apr 13 | Islanders | Sabres |
5:00 PM |