New York Islanders: 3 things the Isles need to keep doing to make the playoffs

Win at home.

Say what you want about the Barclays Center and how it was built for a sport that could not be more different from hockey, but right now, and up to this point, it is home.

The New York Islanders play home games in Brooklyn in Barclays Center.

You do not need me to tell you that, but it is a fact.

With that, the show goes on.

The good news is the Islanders do play games in their original home in Nassau Coliseum as the year progresses too.

But, like any sport, and there is reason why this has been a cliché for decades now, there is no place like home.

The Islanders play half of their game on home ice. They are the only team in the NHL to play 41 games on their home ice.

Therefore, they must be great at home, by great I mean like never lose. They are 6-3-2 there now, that is okay, but needs to get better.

If the Islanders win more than half their home games, then that’s how they will bank a lot of points that will be handy down the stretch.

Winning at home, might seem obvious.

Every team needs to do it.

The difference is, if you cannot win at home, you cannot win anywhere.

The Islanders are only 6-6-0 on the road. That is respectable.

However, a major key for every sports team ever is to win at home in a front of the most optimal environment.

But, for the Islanders, if they want to maintain where they are in the playoff race, if they want to complete the season in the playoffs, they need to keep banking maximum points at home, which Barclays is an unfamiliar environment for everyone else.

They are great at home, much like every team. They need to keep doing so at home(s), if they stand a chance at the playoffs.

That is the beginning to being a great team.

Also, the Islanders have a home-heavy schedule the rest of the year. Got to get those points.