After a surprisingly perfunctory pregame ceremony at Barclays Center on Friday — ending with a center-ice puck drop that featured three current and future Islanders owners and four team legends — the Islanders tried but could not quite live up to the relentless three-year buildup to playing hockey in Brooklyn.
Patrick Kane’s goal in overtime, his second of the game, lifted the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-2 win, much to the dismay of the fans, but not so much to the Islanders themselves.
“We’ll keep competing the way we’re doing, and we’ll be fine,” Islanders center Frans Nielsen said.