With winning on their minds, Islanders finally get to start their season against Sabres

Everything builds throughout the course of an NHL season, from Day 1 of training camp through the regular-season opener until the Stanley Cup is lifted in June. The speed and intensity of games keep increasing. The stakes keep getting higher.

So the emotions for the Islanders as they finally opened their season on Saturday night against the Sabres at UBS Arena — the NHL season began way back on Tuesday — were a mixture of giddiness, anticipation and steely determination.

For Cal Clutterbuck, entering his 16th NHL season, 11th with the Islanders and perhaps last as part of the team’s iconic fourth line with Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin, the season opener represented another chance for the Islanders to finally chase down their first Cup since winning four in a row from 1980-83.

“I think you have the same expectation every year, that means we want to win,” Clutterbuck told Newsday. “Regardless of finishes we’ve had in the past — missing the playoffs, [getting to] the conference final — we didn’t win. I’m not getting any younger and, from a personal standpoint, winning is everything now and always has been. But my window is getting shorter and shorter. So I really want to win and I know the guys in here do, too. The excitement comes with having the chance to do that.

“If I really didn’t believe in this group, I wouldn’t have spent the last 11 years of my life here. I believe in this crew. I have for a long time.”

The Islanders finished fourth in the Metropolitan Division last season, their first under coach Lane Lambert, with a 42-3-19 mark and earning a wild-card spot before bowing to the Hurricanes in the first round in six games.

They went 2-4-0 in the preseason, an indication of nothing other than the Islanders knowing they needed to up their game now that the games count. Yet, there’s typically a transitory period in the first game as teams knock off the rust, particularly against an opponent such as the Sabres who have already played a match, albeit a 5-1 loss to the visiting Rangers on Thursday night.

“There’s so much excitement in the building and adrenaline going that you don’t really think about that,” defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “It’s just full steam ahead and you find another level compared to preseason. You have yourself physically prepared, you have yourself mentally prepared and you go out there and bring your best.

“Two of the more exciting games of the year are opening night and then maybe Game 1 in the playoffs. There’s a different energy in the building. There’s a different energy throughout the locker room. You’ve been waiting all summer.”

One potential advantage for the Islanders is this is a veteran group with an average roster age of 28.9. The only rookie is defenseman Samuel Bolduc, a healthy scratch on Saturday.

But getting their game up to regular-season speed quickly is crucial for the Islanders to take advantage of their early schedule as they play three straight at home and six of eight in October.

“You train and everyone’s in great shape. But you can’t really replicate the energy and the intensity, especially the first game,” defenseman Noah Dobson said. “Everybody comes out flying. It’s like the first round of the playoffs. Those first games, everyone’s so juiced up.

“You try and keep it simple early in the game, get yourself into the game, and then you hope that all the training and preparation you have take over there. Definitely, the first few shifts early are definitely chaos where everyone is juiced up, ready to go.”

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

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.