For the first time in over a year, paying fans will fill the bleachers at Nassau Coliseum as the Islanders take on the Flyers for the third time this season.

The game is the first of a three game set between the two teams. They last faced off on the last two days of January. The Flyers beat the Islanders both times in overtime.

It’s the third straight “long weekend series” for the Islanders. The Islanders beat the Sabres in three times two weeks ago and picked up three more wins against the Devils this past weekend.

The Islanders are coming off a 3-1 loss at Washington on Tuesday while the Rangers hammered the Flyers 9-0 on Wednesday. The Isles’ loss put an end to their nine-game winning streak.

Fans Are Back in the Coliseum

The last time the Islanders hosted fans was on March 7, 2020, the second to last game before the NHL paused the season due to COVID-19. The Islanders reported that they’ve sold out the next seven home games, starting tonight.

Newsday estimated that the Islanders are letting about 1,400 fans into the building to watch them play the Flyers. New York State permitted arenas to open at 10% capacity. Normally, the Coliseum can hold 13,900 fans at a hockey game.

“Passionate, passionate, passionate. That’s how you describe them” head coach Barry Trotz said about Islanders fans in a team video. “The one thing we learned in the bubble is that when you scored a goal or you’d have a situation where you could build momentum, it dissipated very quickly. The fans do have an effect on the game.”

Fans need to present a negative PCR test taken at most 72 hours prior to gameday, even if they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 or have tested positive previously and recovered. If a fan tests positive, they can email the team and request a full refund.

The Islanders hosted 1,000 Northwell Health frontline workers last week against the New Jersey Devils, but this is the first time since last March that tickets are available to the general public. The team gave season ticket holders priority, but tickets are available on Seatgeek, Stubhub and other resale websites.

Anders Lee Done for the Season

Isles’ fans worst fears were confirmed when general manager Lou Lamoriello announced that captain Anders Lee will undergo surgery to repair a torn right ACL and will miss the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs. Lamoriello added that Lee is on track to return by training camp next season.

Lee is tied with Brock Nelson for the team lead in goals (12 each). Rookie Kieffer Bellows has subbed in admirably for Lee on the first line left wing position. He has three goals in the three games since Lee was injured. Two of them propelled the Islanders to a come from behind victory Saturday night in New Jersey. The third opened the scoring the following night.

With Lee now on long-term injured reserve, the Islanders have an extra $7 million of cap space available to make a deadline deal. Lamoriello said he’d be open to adding a “scoring winger” without sacrificing the future. A potential target is Nashville’s Filip Forsberg. He makes $6 million per year this season and next season and has 27 points in 29 games (10-17–29).

Isles Getting Over COVID-19

The Islanders placed J-G Pageau and Noah Dobson on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols list before Sunday’s game in New Jersey. Pageau returned in Wednesday’s loss to the Washington Capitals, but Dobson stayed on the list. His status for tonight’s game is unknown.

Just because he’s on the protocols list doesn’t mean he has the virus. There are a plethora of reasons a player can end up on the list.

Sunday and Tuesday were the first two games in which an Islander missed a game due to COVID-19 related reasons. Josh Bailey was on the list briefly early in the season, but didn’t miss a game.

“You’re always concerned about a player, but the protocols are in place for reason, and it’s to keep them and everyone else on the team and the staff safe,” defenseman Nick Leddy said. “So take it day by day and we’ll see how it goes.”

Sebastian Aho took Dobson’s spot in his absence. Aho played two seasons with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers after a 22-game NHL stint in 2017-2018, recording 76 points. He also played 40 AHL games that season and picked up 29 points. Aho had an assist on his first shift on Sunday when he shot a puck that deflected off Bellows and into the net.

Where to Watch

You can find tonight’s game on MSG+ 2 with puck drop at 7 p.m. For the lucky few fans who have tickets, enjoy watching the Islanders and Flyers in-person!

Ben Baruch

Born and raised on Long Island. Isles fan since 2009. Studying journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.