3 Takeaways: Isles Open UBS Arena with 5-2 Loss to Flames

There were plenty of firsts at UBS Arena on Saturday night, but unfortunately for the New York Islanders a win was not one of them.
The Islanders dropped their first-ever game in their new arena, falling to the Calgary Flames 5-2 on Saturday night.
Brock Nelson scored both goals for the undermanned Islanders, who lost their fifth-straight game in regulation for the first time since a five-game stretch from Dec. 27, 2017 to Jan. 5, 2018.

Andrew Mangianpane scored twice, while Johnny Gaudreau (1 ENG, 1A) and Noah Hanifin (2A) each recorded two-point nights. Jacob Markstrom stopped 34-of-36 shots in the win, while Semyon Varlamov stopped 26-of-29 in the loss. Calgary added a pair of empty-netters.
"Obviously not the result we wanted, we wanted to come out in the home opener and get a win and do it for the fans and all the guys who were missing," Nelson said. "All in all, we're excited to be home and it's the start of something that will be great for us."

ISLANDERS OPEN UBS ARENA:

Regardless of the final score, Saturday night was still a massive win for the New York Islanders as an organization.
After three decades of trying to secure a new arena, Saturday night marked a new era at the team's new era and there was plenty of celebrating at Belmont Park.
"It was great, having grown up in this area, played in this division for six-or-so years, these fans deserve a home like this and it's an incredible building," Smithtown native Kyle Palmieri said. "The atmosphere was electric. Our fans showed up, they were excited for us, they were excited to be here."
It started with fans streaming in at 5 p.m., laughing, hugging, even crying as they explored the new digs. Denis Potvin and Clark Gillies were among the legends who signed autographs, while John Tonelli passed a puck to Bobby Nystrom before dropping the ceremonial first puck.
Jiggs McDonald led a pregame ceremony, welcoming Islanders fans "home" while paying tribute to Charles B. Wang, who played a large role in steering the Islanders towards Belmont Park as a home.

All the bells and whistles - including a Daktronics scoreboard and on-ice projections - were on display, but as good as the arena looked, how it sounded was more important.
While UBS Arena bore little visual resemblance to its predecessor down Hempstead Turnpike, it sure sounded like Nassau Coliseum on Saturday. Refs were booed, Islanders were cheered, "shoooooooooot" was audible on the power play and there was a roar when Nelson scored the first Islanders goal in arena history. While the reaction was slightly delayed due to a miscall on the ice, the first Yes! Yes! Yes! in UBS Arena history lived up to its billing.
"It feels like the Coli kind of, the low roof, but it's state of the art" said Scott Mayfield, who sported an A on his jersey. "I hope the fans really enjoyed it and it was loud. We went from a Game 6 Semifinal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs to this one and the fans brought it."
Saturday night flew by far too fast, especially as the Islanders tried to claw back in the game in the third period, pressuring the Flames after Nelson made it 3-2. Luckily for the Islanders, they'll have plenty of nights in the new barn and a chance to pick up win number one on Sunday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"It's huge," Mayfield said. "We have a home now."

SPECIAL TEAMS DOMINATE GAME:

The first parade at UBS Arena was to the penalty box.
Special teams dominated Saturday's game, with the teams combining for 10 penalties in the first 32 minutes and three power-play goals.
It wasn't in the Islanders favor, as Calgary potted a pair of goals with the man advantage, to the Islanders one. The Flames went 2-for-4 on the power play, while the Islanders went 1-for-6.
Mangiapane scored both power-play goals for the Flames, in strikingly similar fashion, deflecting a pair of Hanifin point shots past Varlamov, the first at 13:18 of the first period to make it 2-0 and the second at 6:43 of the middle frame to make it 3-1.
Nelson's goal did come on the Islanders fourth man advantage of the game, as the center roofed a Richard Panik pass upstairs on Markstrom from the top of the crease. The puck hit off the camera in the net and popped out so quickly that the referees initially waved it off and let play continue.
Nelson's goal also snapped the Islanders 0-for-15 stretch with the man advantage, but even on a 1-for-6 with a new cast of characters, Trotz said he was pleased with the chances.
"When I look at the chances on the power play, we probably had seven, or eight, or even nine," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "Some nights it's pretty bare so I liked the intensity, I liked a lot of the net-front and the battles to create some of those chances."

UNDERMANNED ISLES SHOW INSPIRED EFFORT:

UBS Arena was at full strength on Saturday night, but the same couldn't be said about the Islanders, who were dealt a big blow to their lineup in the leadup to the home opener.
Anders Lee and Ross Johnston were placed in COVID-19 protocol on Thursday, while Adam Pelech and Andy Greene entered protocols on Friday night. If that wasn't enough, Anthony Beauvillier entered protocol on Saturday afternoon - and Josh Bailey was still in protocol in Florida. Ryan Pulock also missed the game as he's four-to-six weeks with a lower-body injury. Trotz said he lamented the fact that the longtime Islanders, the ones who put in "blood, sweat and tears" to get the team to this point.
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The absences meant a series of callups from Bridgeport; Robin Salo on Thursday and then forwards Andy Andreoff and Richard Panik, as well as d-men Grant Hutton and Paul LaDue on Saturday. Salo and Hutton were making their NHL debuts - including the first-ever rookie laps at UBS Arena - and with Sebastian Aho 28-career games, the Islanders were icing a very inexperienced back end.
Andreoff (179 NHL games entering Saturday) and Panik (517) helped replenish the experience void up front - and were two players Trotz highlighted after the game.
Despite the adversity, the Islanders played an inspired game, with the callups injecting some energy and enthusiasm. Panik picked up an assist on Nelson's first goal and finished the night with two shots and three hits in 14:42. Salo played a team-high 21:42 and had a game-high four blocked shots. Andreoff skated 10:19 with a hit.
In the third, the Islanders put on a press, outshooting the Flames 14-7, closing the gap to 3-2 early and buzzing after that. Nelson revived the energy in the building with the early goal, while Zach Parise had at least three quality chances on Markstrom in the third period alone.
While Trotz said he wished the Islanders could have delivered a better result for the opener, he was proud of the effort his team put in, especially with the lineup in such flux prior to puck drop.
"We battled to the end and the young guys that came in and the effort that was put in was good," Trotz said. "The guys responded as I knew they would. They relied on each other, they played for each other and I wish we would have gotten a point. We probably deserved a point in this one tonight."

NEXT GAME:

Opening weekend at UBS Arena continues on Saturday night when the Islanders take on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.