Breaking Down the Islanders 2021-22 Schedule

Mark your calendars.
The New York Islanders 2021-22 regular season scheduled was announced on Thursday, so Islanders fans now know what nights they'll be busy for the duration of the fall, winter and spring.

NHL teams are set to play 82 games this season after last year's shortened 56-game season and the abbreviated 2019-20 campaign. The league is also returning to its pre-pandemic divisions - save for Arizona moving to the Central to accommodate Seattle's inclusion in the Pacific - and the Islanders will play every team in the league at least twice.
The Islanders season will begin on Oct. 14 in Carolina and concluding at home on April 28 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. There's a lot more to it than that, from a long road trip to start the season, to the opening of UBS Arena, NewYorkIslanders.com takes a look at this season's upcoming schedule.

13-GAME ROAD TRIP TO START SEASON:

With UBS Arena under construction, the Islanders are starting the season with a lengthy road trip. The Islanders will play their first 13 games on the road this season, the longest trip in team history, a road stretch lasting more than a month.
While a 13-game road trip sounds daunting, the NHL has inserted some lengthy breaks to allow for the Islanders to spend some time at home and catch their breath. The Islanders will have five full days off from Oct. 25-29 between contests in Vegas and Nashville. The Islanders will have three days off after playing the Predators, and three more days off from the end of the road trip to the home opener.
The 13-game road trip is one shy of the Vancouver Canucks' 14-game road trip in the 2009-10 season, as Rogers Arena was being converted for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The longest Islanders road trip was a nine-gamer back in the 2016-17 season, where the team was away from Feb. 21 to March 11 and went 5-3-1 on the trip.
The Islanders will also have a seven-game road trip from Apr. 1-15, though two of the seven contests will be against Tri-State rivals in the Rangers and Devils.

FIRST GAME AT UBS ARENA ON NOV. 20:

The Islanders' first game at UBS Arena will be on Saturday, Nov. 20 against the Calgary Flames. It'll be a momentous day for the franchise, which has lacked a true state-of-the-art building of their own since its inception in 1972. By all accounts, UBS Arena will be worth the wait and expect a big celebration for the home opener.
The Flames may seems like an odd choice to be the Islanders first opponent in the new building, but consider the Atlanta Flames were the Islanders first opponent and first visitor to Nassau Coliseum.
And if you can't make it to the home opener, you won't have to wait long for game two at UBS Arena, as the Islanders and Maple Leafs square off on Sunday Nov. 21. The first Isles-Rangers game at UBS Arena will be Nov. 24.

LONGEST HOMESTAND:

The Islanders longest homestand will be six games from March 3-13.
The Islander will also play 10-of-11 games at home from Jan. 13 to Feb. 1, a pair of five-game homestands sandwiching a one-game trip to Toronto.
The Isles will also have two four-game homestands (Nov. 20-26 and Dec, 16-23)

DAYS OF THE WEEK:

The Islanders schedule, as broken down by day of the week:
5 - Monday games
17 - Tuesday games
3 - Wednesday games
19 - Thursday games
6 - Friday games
18 - Saturday games
14 - Sunday games

ISLANDERS VS KRAKEN:

The Islanders will play the expansion Seattle Kraken for the first time on Jan. 4 in the Pacific Northwest and will host the Kraken later in the month on Jan. 29.
A fisherman vs a sea monster - a tale as old as time.

OLYMPIC BREAK?:

While the NHL's participation in the Olympics has not been officially confirmed, the schedule features a lengthy three-week break in February. The Islanders will play the Ottawa Senators at home on Feb. 1 and then reconvene at the Shark Tank on Feb. 24, kicking off their California road trip.
Per the NHL, All-Star Weekend will be on Feb. 4-5 in Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights will host the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend at T-Mobile Arena, featuring the 2022 NHL All-Star Skills on Feb. 4 and the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game on Feb. 5.
All-Star Weekend will be followed by a pause in games from Feb. 7-22 if the League reaches an agreement with the NHL Players' Association and the International Ice Hockey Federation for NHL players to participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Talks continue on outstanding issues, including securing appropriate COVID-19 insurance.

BACK TO BACKS:

The Islanders will play 19 back-to-backs this season, likely to help the NHL facilitate a long break in February. Thirteen of the back-to-backs will involve travel.
The breakdown:
7 - Back-to-backs on the road
6 - Back-to-backs at home
3 - Back-to-backs start at home and end on the road
3 - Back-to-backs start on the road and end at home

Islanders Back-to-Backs

| Oct 23-24 | @ARI | @VGK | | Nov 6-7 | @WPG | @MIN | | Nov 15-16 | @TBL | @FLA | | Nov 20-21 | CGY | TOR | | Dec 4-5 | @DET | CHI | | Dec 19-20 | VGK | MON | | Dec 29-30 | DET | BUF | | Jan 4-5 | @SEA | @VAN | | Jan 17-18 | PHI | CBJ | | Jan 21-22 | ARI | @TOR | | Jan 29-30 | SEA | MIN | | Feb 26-27 | @LAK | @ANA | | Mar 10-11 | PIT | WPG | | Mar 19-20 | DAL | @PHI | | Mar 26-27 | @BOS | TBL | | Mar 31-Apr 1 | CBJ | @NYR | | Apr 8-9 | @CAR | @STL | | Apr 14-15 | @PIT | @MTL | | Apr 23-24 | @BUF | CAR | | Dates | Opponent | Opponent | | --- | --- | --- |