Carolina Hurricanes' Tony DeAngelo (77) takes New York Islanders' Cal Clutterbuck (15) off the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021. Credit: AP/Karl B DeBlaker
Everyone who works in or follows the NHL understands the reality of the calendar and the fact that the Stanley Cup horizon is far in the distance — nearly halfway through a year that won’t even begin for another 2 ½ months.
But that does not lessen the challenge for the Islanders, who began their 2021-22 journey — and their 13-game, five-week, season-opening road trip — on Thursday night against the Hurricanes in Raleigh, North Carolina.