Sports

Barclays to host Russian hockey games

The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming! And they’re bringing their hockey sticks.

Teams from Russia’s KHL are expected to play the first regular-season hockey games at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center — trumping the Islanders, who are considering a future move to the arena and will be playing an exhibition game there.

KHL President Alexander Medvedev told Russia’s Sovetsky Sport yesterday high-profile teams from his league — perhaps KHL champ Dynamo Moscow — would be playing two regular-season games at Barclays Center in January.

Barclays Center officials wouldn’t confirm the deal but said serious talks are ongoing.

However, sources said the arrangement makes sense considering the arena will be home to the Brooklyn Nets — which are owned by Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov — and arena officials have said they want to tap into Brooklyn’s large Russian population.

Also, with a potential NHL lockout looming next season, the KHL could be the only hockey game in town.

The Islanders are playing the Devils Oct. 2 at Barclays in an exhibition game.

Although Barclays Center holds 18,200 for basketball, it can only hold 14,500 for hockey. And because of sight restrictions, a U-shaped seating configuration will be implemented during hockey contests with sections behind one of the two goals closed off. The Islanders — whose lease with Nassau Coliseum ends in 2015 — only averaged 13,191 fans for their home games this season.