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Islanders thriving despite playing in empty, quiet arena

Semyon Varlamov of the Islanders skates out onto the ice prior to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Flyers during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday in Toronto. Credit: Getty Images/Elsa

Don’t believe what you hear on television.

The NHL and its television partners have added crowd noise to the broadcasts. But those sounds aren’t piped into the nearly empty arenas in Toronto and Edmonton that are hosting the NHL playoffs.

“It’s very quiet,” said coach Barry Trotz, before Tuesday night’s Game 5 of the second-round series against the Flyers with his Islanders holding a 3-1 series advantage.