"I don’t think there’s any advantage in any rink in the National Hockey League right now, to be quite honest with you, just because the fans do have an important effect," he said. "I think we saw that in Madison Square Garden [Thursday and Saturday].

"I mean, it’s quiet in there . . . [Normally] when the Rangers and Islanders are playing, we could be playing at 7 a.m. in the morning, with a full building and the place is going crazy."

"You’ve got to bring your own sense of emotion, your own game every night. You’re not going to get any help from the atmosphere. You’re not . . . Here, it’s a lonely road out here."

-Barry Trotz, head coach of the New York Islanders. Nei Best of Newsday has more.