Of course the Islanders were going to downplay the difference between playing their home games at the Coliseum and at Barclays Center, as the venue has switched for their second-round playoff series against the Hurricanes that starts with Game 1 in Brooklyn on Friday night.
But the difference is the whole team went into the city after Thursday’s practice on Long Island — where they all live — and were set to stay at a hotel for the duration until they returned after Game 2 on Sunday afternoon. That includes a morning skate in Brooklyn on Friday (they skated on Long Island all season), a practice there on Saturday afternoon, and then staying over Saturday night, with downtime spent together in the city.