Isles Itching for Opening Night 

The 2023-24 NHL season officially kicked off on Tuesday night, but the Islanders have to play the waiting game until Saturday to face their first opponent of the regular season.

“It allows a smart practice time, but guys are chomping at the bit to play a game,” Head Coach Lane Lambert said. “It’s a long wait.”

After a long training camp and another week of practice leading up to Opening Night, Lambert can sense his team is hungry to compete in real games.

"They see the light at the end of the tunnel that's something that they're really looking forward to,” Lambert said. “From a coaching standpoint, keeping their edge [means] to make things competitive, to do things that are game-like in practice and to have them compete."

The Islanders will host Buffalo on Saturday to open their season, which will mark game number two for the Sabres. Lambert said it will be beneficial to watch the Sabres face the Rangers on Thursday, but for the most part he knows what to expect from the club.

“I know they've made some roster adjustments, but they have a similar team and the same coach as last year,” Lambert said of Buffalo. “It's an advantage for us to watch and it certainly helps, but I think they [will look] very similar coming in from last season.”

The Islanders start their season later than 30 other clubs, with the Anaheim Ducks being the only team that shares the same opening night date.

"We have one last week to get the mind feeling good and get body feeling right to be fully ready to go," Brock Nelson said. "For us, the focus is on all the little things to prep us for Saturday and be ready to go right from puck drop. We start a little bit later than everybody else, but we'll find a way to channel that energy and that excitement to build it up."

The rest of the Metropolitan Division will already have kicked off by the time the Islanders hit the ice. The Penguins opened their season with a 4-2 loss to the Blackhawks on Tuesday, the Hurricanes defeated the Senators 5-3 at home on Wednesday, while the Rangers, Devils, Flyers and Blue Jackets are slated to start on Thursday with the Capitals opening their season on Friday. The schedule allows for the Islanders to closely watch other teams, while staying laser focused on improving internally.

“Whenever you get to watch other teams play, it definitely makes you more motivated,” Bo Horvat said. “You can see their tendencies and who to watch for. But we’re focused on ourselves and what we can do.”

Aside from reviewing video to strictly prepare, a lot of players are also simply excited about the start of the NHL season with their innate passion for the game.

“I'm sure a bunch of guys will watch most of the games, but it's just nice to have hockey back,” Kyle Palmieri said. “To see a couple of new faces in different teams and some new rookies to look at but overall, I think guys will just watch because they enjoy watching the game.”

Although the Islanders have to wait longer than most clubs, they will open their season on home ice at UBS Arena in front of fans who are also itching for the season to start. As an added bonus, all fans in attendance at the home opener are going home with an Islanders scarf, which is sure to add anticipation to an already exciting night for the Isles faithful.

“The home opener is always exciting,” Nelson said. “For the players, coaches, family and fans, everyone looks forward to that. It's been a long summer and you put a lot of work in for these nights. We’re going to soak it up at home and feed off that energy, it’s going to be huge.”