Isles Day to Day: Isles Arrive in the Bubble

After arriving in Toronto on Sunday, the New York Islanders are getting acclimated to bubble life.

On Monday, that meant going through the new practice procedure, heading to the Ford Performance Centre for a full-team skate.

Head Coach Barry Trotz said all 30 players were accounted for at practice and that the Isles skated on an Olympic-sized sheet. Every team will get one practice day on the Olympic sheet, per Trotz.

The Islanders coach said the different dimensions of the Olympic sheet influenced his practice, as the Isles didn't work on special teams as a result.

Video: Isles First Practice in Toronto

"We had everyone on the ice," Trotz said. "We just worked on our five-on-five play, we got up and down the ice. We had the day off for travel yesterday, it was a workday and we got up and down the ice. A lot of our execution, probably a bit more rush play than you'd seen practicing."

The Isles also ran into multiple other teams at the practice rink, which is unusual under normal circumstances, but adds to the tournament feel of this year's playoffs. Trotz compared it to the setup at the World Championships, or the Olympics. Johnny Boychuk said that seeing other teams in the area makes everything feel a little more real.

"We didn't really see them, but we could see that they were there," Boychuk said, while sporting a mask during his Zoom availability. "You start to get that playoff feeling and mentality and it's time to ramp it up when you see other teams practicing really hard and we had a good practice today and have to keep going."

ISLES GETTING ACCLIMATED, FEEL SAFE IN BUBBLE:

The Islanders have been impressed by the NHL's bubble setup since arriving on Sunday.

The team scoped out Scotiabank Arena on Sunday, getting an in-person look at the new lightboards and stagecraft installed. The Isles also went out for a team dinner at one of the restaurants in the secure zone, familiarizing themselves with the setup.

Video: Isles First Practice in Toronto, each team has a meal room, a coaches room and a players lounge and each lounge has a microwave, fridge, card table, television, ping-pong table and gaming console.

Video: Isles First Practice in Toronto

"It's been good obviously a different experience, but we're all here and excited and ready to go," Josh Bailey said, also while sporting a mask. "The longer we're here the more comfortable we'll get with the routine and the changes that we need to abide by."

Most importantly, the Isles feel safe in the bubble, crediting the NHL with taking the necessary precautions. The NHL released a statement saying that no players had tested positive for COVID-19 out of 4,256 tests for the period of July 18-25.

"They've been doing such a good job throughout the league where we are," Boychuk said. "You see that all the precautions that we've been going through. You see what happened with the MLB, but I'm confident that we can keep going and us being in the bubble will help."

"The NHL and NHLPA have done a great job to give us a safe environment," Matt Martin said. "They've made our health and safety a priority."

Video: Isles Player Availability: 7/27

BOTH GOALIES TO SEE ACTION VS RANGERS:

Barry Trotz did not reveal his Game 1 starter in net, but said that both Semyon Varlamov and Thomas Greiss would see action in Wednesday's exhibition game vs the Rangers.

"Both guys will get work," Trotz said. "I'm pretty close to making a decision, but I can't make a bad decision. I have trust in both of them."

Varlamov was 19-14-6 with a 2.62 GAA, .914 SV% and two shutouts this season, while Greiss went 16-9-4 with a 2.74 GAA and a .913 SV%. Greiss has a 5-2-1 regular season record vs the Panthers for his career, with a 2.10 GAA and a .930 SV%, while Varlamov is 8-3-1 with a 2.65 GAA and a .922 SV%.