Traditionally, the first game back home after a West Coast trip is always tough.

The twist for the Islanders, as they prepare for a weekend back-to-back against the Blues on Saturday and the Kraken on Sunday, is that they already have been back in the Eastern time zone for the past few days.

The trip took them as far as Las Vegas but slowly crawled back toward New York with stops in the Mountain and Central time zones before Thursday’s 5-0 win against the Red Wings in the Eastern time zone.

Emil Heineman of the New York Islanders bumps helmets with teammate Ilya Sorokin #30 after the shut out win against the Detroit Red Wings during the third period at Little Caesars Arena on November 20, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. NHLI via Getty Images

In theory, at least, that should spare them so

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