NEW YORK — The Islanders and expansion Seattle Kraken are just having a hard time getting their scheduled games played.
Saturday’s matinee at UBS Arena was postponed, the NHL announced on Friday night, marking the second postponement between the teams. This game will now be played Wednesday at 7 p.m. as the conclusion of a seven-game homestand before the All-Star break.
Because of the potential for a blizzard, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for Long Island, New York City and three counties on Friday night and the LIRR suspended service overnight.
So, ex-Islander forward Jordan Eberle’s first chance to face his former teammates and see the Islanders’ new arena will have to wait a few more days.
The Islanders were also supposed to play at Seattle on Jan. 4 as part of a road trip that also included Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. But with Canadian cities limiting attendance because of a COVID-19 surge, the league opted to push those games later in the season.
The Islanders will now make their first visit to Seattle on Feb. 22 as the start of a five-game road trip through March 1 that also includes San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim and Colorado.
The Islanders are no strangers to postponements this season, though this is their first weather-related one.
Ten of their games were postponed between Nov. 28-Jan. 11 because of COVID-19 issues and this becomes the 14th game rescheduled overall.
This is the seventh time in team history the Islanders have had a game postponed because of weather and the first since Jan. 23, 2016.
The Islanders, who were off on Friday after Thursday night’s 3-2 loss to the Kings, next face the Wild on Sunday night.
