New York Islanders fans packed Mullett Arena Thursday night. The team spoke about the atmosphere and how special the fan base is.
TEMPE, AZ -- It's not every day that an away game feels like a battle at your own barn.
The New York Islanders hit Mullett Arena Thursday night for a showdown with the Arizona Coyotes, but rather than coming out to boos, they came out to a roaring cheer as the Islanders faithful packed the 5,000-seat stadium.
From the "Yes Yes Yes" chants to fitting the word "Islanders" into any home chant to overpower the Coyotes faithful.
The more the Islanders potted goals, the louder the crowd got.
"It felt like almost a home game out there," Islanders Bo Horvat said after potting two goals in the 5-1 beatdown of the Coyotes. "They sure made their presence in the building.
“It's great. There's Islanders support wherever we go. It's pretty amazing, actually, how many Islanders fans are out there. For them to come support us here, it's a heck of a fan base, and I'm proud to be a part of it."
Islanders fans travel well, and some players just expect there to be a sea of blue and orange wherever they play. But not everyone is ready for it, like first-year Islanders Mike Reilly and Julien Gauthier, who were so shocked to see so many Islanders fans over 2,400 miles away from UBS Arena.
"I saw it after the first goal, so it's kind of funny," the speedy blue liner said after he scored the Islanders' second goal of the game. "I saw over in the corner there from the bench, but yeah, it's always great to have support like that. It's a smaller rink, so you can definitely stand out."
Gauthier echoes Reilly's sentiments.
"It's awesome. I honestly did not expect that in Arizona," Gauthier said after he sniped Coyotes Connor Ingram over the blocker for the Islanders' fourth goal of the night. "It was great to see the support from them here. They were loud. It was great for us. Obviously, it's fun to get a win for them, too."
Mathew Barzal wouldn't dare compare Mullett to Nassau Coliseum but said he enjoys playing in an arena where the fans are right on top of you, especially if it's Islanders fans.
"They're making the best of the situation," Barzal said following a night where he was named to his third All-Star game and also notching career points 400 and 401. "The energy in the rink and that kind of stuff, it's cool. It's cool to come play here once a year. It's such a unique atmosphere, so I actually enjoy it."
Veteran Matt Martin knows how passionate the Islanders faithful are and isn't shocked when the UBS faithful hit the road with them.
"There are more Islander fans around the country than you would think," Martin told The Hockey News. "We love having them in the building. Any time we scored tonight, you see a lot of people standing up with the blue and orange on, so it's pretty cool.
When THN asked Islanders head coach Lane Lambert about seeing so many Islanders fans, he kept his response short and sweet.
"It was awesome. And I'm assuming they're gonna be in Vegas, too."
You can watch Rosner talk Islanders hockey on Hockey Night in New York with co-host Sean Cuthbert live Sunday nights at 8 PM ET during the season at twitch.tv/hockeynightny.