New York Islanders: Previewing the schedule for January

The New York Islanders ended 2017 with a brutal loss to the Avalanche on the road but it is a new calendar year and a new month. So let’s see what the Isles have in store for January.

The New York Islanders were red-hot in November. The Isles slowed down significantly in December and now find themselves falling farther and farther out of the division race.

But 2018 is a new year and the Isles still have plenty of time to turn things around it is a fresh start but January will not be any easier.

The year starts off with a home game vs Boston.

They close out their season series vs the once long-time rivals a few weeks later on the 18th.

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The Islanders face the Devils twice as well. Those will both be the games with the Devils being one of the teams fighting for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.

The rest of the month is pretty spread out for the Islanders.

They only play in back-to-back three times all month. The (4th-5th, 15th-16th, and 30th-31st).

In those back-to-backs, the Isles get one home game in each.

It’s crucial that the Islanders get better on the road this month. It’s now or never. In January the Isles do not have a home stand that is more than two games.

A bulk of their games during the year’s first month will be away from Brooklyn.

The Isles have a three-game road stand in Chicago, Arizona, and the franchise’s first trip to Vegas to play the Golden Knights. The game is over the stretch of five days (20th-25th) with no back-to-backs.

Overall, the Isles schedule is not that brutal. It is against some tough teams and is mostly in conference but not too crazy.

January sees them playing some familiar foes. They will see the Rangers, Penguins, Flyers, Bruins, Knights, Coyotes, and Panthers again.

But for the first time all year, January has the Isles playing the Leafs, Blackhawks, Devils, and Canadiens for the first time this hockey season.

Next: Why Brooklyn is purgatory for the Isles

The Isles need to have a hot January to remain relevant in the playoff picture. There are some important, but winnable games on the calendar.

Remember the Isles will finally play on national television in the states in January on the 15th in Montreal.

Hockey is a long season but the new year is really the start of contending vs pretending.