New York Islanders Return to Canada To Battle Canadiens
The world is beginning to return to normal. With this, the Islanders will play against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, Nov. 4 – their first trip to Canada in two years.
The NHL, as well as many other major sports leagues in North America, shut down indefinitely in March of 2020. On Aug. 1, 2020, the NHL began its “bubble” with 24 total teams split evenly between Toronto and Edmonton.
To minimize travel, however, four divisions were created for the 2020-21 season: three in the United States and one with all the Canadian teams. There were no inter-division games, meaning the Islanders only played seven geographically-close teams eight times each. This meant that American clubs never traveled to Canada, and Canadian clubs never traveled to America. Although this was helpful in suppressing the impact of the virus among the league’s players and staff, it separated families. Many Canadian players on American clubs or American players on Canadian clubs could only see loved ones through virtual means.
Luckily, the 2021-22 NHL season looks to be a regular one like we’re all used to. Barring any further issues, each team will play 82 games and travel to the opposite coasts and across the border.
Seven games into their 13-game road trip, the Islanders will go to Canada for the first time in over two years. The last time they were in Canada, the Islanders caught fire in the Toronto bubble. The Islanders then traveled to Edmonton as one of the remaining four teams, where they lost to the Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals.
This time, the Islanders go to Quebec to play the Canadiens. The Canadiens went to the Stanley Cup Final last year, but are just 3-8-0 to start the season. The Canadiens defeated the Islanders 6-2 in their last meeting on March 3, 2020. Islanders’ forward Anthony Beauvillier will finally get to play in his home province of Quebec.
Two days later, the Winnipeg Jets will host the Islanders. The red-hot 5-2-2 Jets are on a seven-game point streak but fell to the Islanders in both their matchups in October of 2019. Manitoba-native Ryan Pulock also will get to return home for this game. Eleven other Islanders are from Canada, so being in their home country should set a spark under them to grab a couple of wins.
Die-Hard Islanders fan and writer from Plainview, Long Island, NY. I have a passion and knowledge for this team and I enjoy sharing that with others
