It's time for UBS Arena to sound like the Coliseum for the Islanders' playoff push
The Islanders' Anders Lee celebrates his go-ahead goal during the last minute of the third period against the Florida Panthers at UBS Arena on March 1. Credit: Jim McIsaac
It’s time for UBS Arena to make a difference.
It’s been building to this.
The Islanders face the Kings on Friday night, their first home game since March 1 and just their second since Feb. 3, factoring in the three-week Olympic break. But it starts a season-ending stretch of the Islanders playing 12 of their last 17 games at UBS Arena. After next week’s three-game Canadian swing, the Islanders will play 10 of their final 12 at home.
The Islanders can – and must – use this to their distinct advantage as they vie for a playoff spot.
It’s time for UBS Arena to start consistently intimidating opponents the way Nassau Coliseum did in that venue’s best days.
“I think it’s close, for sure,” defenseman Adam Pelech told Newsday. “I have a lot of great memories from the Coli. In playoffs. I remember our first game back there after Brooklyn. It was pretty crazy there. It was nuts. And it’s fun to play in an environment like that. When UBS has gotten kind of rocking, it definitely comes close to that. Hopefully, throughout the rest of the season and the playoffs, we can give the fans a reason to be like that.”
Friday marks the Islanders’ 13th consecutive sellout and the 18th time in 30 home dates a crowd of 17,255 has packed UBS Arena. It’s the facility’s longest sellout streak since the first 19 games were sold out after the building opened on Nov. 20, 2021.
And fans tend to be the loudest during the regular season when a playoff berth is on the line down the stretch.
“I think it’s huge,” defenseman Scott Mayfield told Newsday. “You look at the schedule. We have the trip next week and then a lot of home games. Being at home, in front of your fans, with the noise and the structure of the days, home-ice advantage is a real thing. We’re lucky how the schedule has set up going into April, it’s a lot of home games other than a couple. We’re excited to play in front of our fans for sure.”
But it only will be a decided home-ice advantage if the Islanders take advantage of all their time on home ice.
That means winning. Consistently.
They entered Friday with a 17-10-2 record at home and undefeated at UBS Arena in February and March (again, haha, just two games). Actually, the Islanders had won 12 of their last 16 home games dating to Dec. 1.
UBS Arena certainly can get loud. But, in part because of the schedule this season, it seems like that happens here and there rather than every single game.
Though it’s a much bigger building than Nassau Coliseum, the roof is not nearly as high as in many other modern NHL buildings so the crowd noise is held closer to the ice.
But there’s one intimidation factor the Coliseum had that UBS Arena simply cannot because it is a modern building. At the Coliseum, the crowd noise invaded the dressing rooms – almost to the point of shaking them – so the players were hearing that roar long before they stepped onto the ice.
UBS Arena’s state-of-the-art design muffles that sound.
“No, here is a little different,” Pelech said with a laugh. “This building, it’s a little newer, right? The Coli was crazy loud.”
UBS Arena, to date, also does not have a history of playoff runs. It has hosted a total of five postseason matches, three in 2023 and two the next year as the Islanders lost first-round series to the Hurricanes both times.
But the decibel levels were as loud as it’s been in those five games. As Spinal Tap might say, it went to 11.
This sustained stretch of home games can build to UBS Arena being at that consistent deafening level well before the playoffs start.
Again, that could – and should – be a distinct advantage for the Islanders.
“It’s nice to be home,” captain Anders Lee said. “It will be great to have the building behind us moving forward. It’s been a huge help this season and I expect no different the rest of the way. Look, we’ve gotten through the stretch of being on the road and we have a bunch of home games in the bank. It’s a great opportunity.”
It’s a great opportunity for UBS Arena to be a difference maker in the Islanders’ playoff push.
It’s been building to this.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
