Ted Nolan saw lots of empty seats at Nassau Coliseum last year, his first as Islanders head coach.
“Early last year, it seemed we couldn’t get more than 5,000 or 6,000 fans at games,” Nolan said of playing in front of a nearly half-empty house. “Now, we’re getting 14, 15, 16 [thousand] almost every night. It makes a huge difference. Getting fans in the building means a lot and it helps. We’re trying to bring back the glory days here, knowing where we came from and knowing where we have to go to.”
But right now, after rolling off four consecutive wins at home to pull within two points of first-place Philadelphia, the Isles have to venture out on the road for four straight.
The first is tonight against the Flyers, who have played three more games than the Isles. Despite good results so far, Isles right wing Miro Satan isn’t ready to call his team one of the best in the league – not until it wins consistently on the road.
“We have to take the same attitude with us,” Satan said of the Isles, who haven’t left Long Island since Oct. 18. “If you want to be successful and be at the top, you have to be able to do the same things away from home. That’s what good teams do.”
The Isles will find out soon enough if that’s what they are, as tonight’s game in Philadelphia will be followed by ones in Pittsburgh, Newark and at Madison Square Garden.
The Islanders have been solid and Nolan isn’t overly concerned that a change of scenery will hurt.
“It doesn’t matter where we play, whether here or in Africa, if we play like we have been, we’ll be fine,” he said following yesterday’s skate. “Everything’s falling into place right now.”
Satan has played a significant part in that, tallying the game-winner in each of the last three matches.
“I’ve never done that before,” Satan said. “I’m just glad I’m helping out.”
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Bill Guerin’s status for tonight’s game is uncertain after he left Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Devils because of a cut. He will be reevaluated today. . . . Freddy Meyer, reacquired after being waived by the Isles earlier this year, skated yesterday and will be with the team tonight.