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Islanders announce packed first week including October 16th home opener against Anaheim

And you hit the ground running...

No nesting allowed.
No nesting allowed.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

The Islanders have announced the date of their second home opener at Barclays Center, and it's just one game out of a very, very busy season-opening week.

The team's first home game of the season will be Sunday, October 16th in Brooklyn against the Anaheim Ducks with a start time that's TBA as of now. The meeting with a far flung Western Conference opponent will be the Islanders' third game of the season, as they help open two long-standing rivals open their buildings.

On Thursday, October 13th, the Islanders will kick off the season at Madison Square Garden against their bitterest enemies, the New York Rangers. In case you forgot, the Islanders swept the Rangers in the regular season for the first time their shared history this past season.

Then on Saturday the 15th, the Islanders are in Washington to help the Capitals open their season at Verizon Center. In case you forgot, Tom Wilson still sucks.

Throw in the Ducks, who just won the Pacific Division, and that's a pretty heavy handful of games to start a season (even if Anaheim replaced Bruce Boudreau with Randy Carlyle because of yet another lost Game 7). The Islanders drew back-to-back games against the defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks last year, so I guess this is just another log for that conspiracy fire.

Questions? Eric Hornick has answers:

The rest of the Islanders' schedule will be released tomorrow. My sources say they'll play the next 79 games of the schedule back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-