Islanders seem paralysed right now
After 13 consecutive games played on opposing rinks, the New York Islanders were eager to inaugurate their new arena to finally get the support of their fans.
Well, UBS Arena was finally ready yesterday as over 17,000 fans showed up for the Islanders game against the Flames.
However, things didn't go as planned as several of New York's top performers were absent due to COVID-19. Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Anthony Beauvillier and Adam Pelech all tested positive for the virus.
"I'm really disappointed. I think about guys like Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Pelech, Pulock and all the guys who were absent. I texted them because they were the ones who kept this team competitive with their efforts!"
The Islanders finally lost by a score of 5-2 last night. Trotz admits that the last few hours have been rather complicated around the team.
"The last 24 hours have been pretty complicated because of the situation with COVID, we had positive cases on Friday night and again before the game."
Forward Brock Nelson did well in the loss, scoring his eighth and ninth goals of the campaign. However, he admits that a win would have been great for the organization.
"Obviously, it's not the result we wanted. We wanted to get a win in our opening game, for the fans, but also for all the guys who were absent and all the guys who raised their game a notch to fill the empty holes left by the absentees."
So it's a new page of history for the Islanders after 46 seasons played at Nassau Coliseum. Trotz makes no secret of the fact that the opening of UBS Arena was a distraction for his players.
"The first 10 minutes, some of the guys seemed a little paralyzed and overly excited. It showed in the first two goals allowed. Those two goals, we weren't moving our feet, we were like paralyzed."
The Islanders will have their work cut out for them as they are 5-7-2. They are currently in last place in the Metropolitan Division with 12 points.
