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NEW YORK — The season opener Thursday night marked the official start of a new era for the New York Islanders. But Saturday night will truly reinforce the uncertainty upon which the Islanders have embarked.The overhauled Islanders will begin their vagabond home existence Saturday night Zach Bogosian Jersey Womens , when New York hosts the Nashville Predators at Barclays Center.Both teams earned wins in their openers Thursday night, when the visiting Islanders edged the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in overtime, while the Predators beat the host New York Rangers 3-2.Article continues below ...Saturday’s game is the first of two home openers this season for the Islanders, who are scheduled to play 21 games at Barclays Center and 20 contests at a renovated Nassau Coliseum, where the franchise played from its inception in 1972 until 2015. The first game at the Coliseum is scheduled for Dec. 1, when the Columbus Blue Jackets visit.The split schedule — which originally called for the Islanders to play 29 games at Barclays and 12 at Nassau Coliseum — was announced Jan. 29, a little more than a month after the Islanders announced their intentions to leave Barclays by winning a bid to build a new arena at Belmont Park on the border of Nassau and Queens counties.The move thrilled Islanders fans, who loved the confines of the Coliseum and never warmed to the sight-lines of Barclays nor the commute into Brooklyn. “I’m absolutely thrilled that we’re going back to the Coliseum,” new Islanders head coach Barry Trotz told a television station in September. “That’s where it should be. I think that’s where the fans want it.”But the commitment to Belmont turned the Islanders into lame ducks at two arenas, both of which are operated by the same company (Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment), for an indeterminate period of time.An environmental study of the Belmont area is scheduled to be completed by the spring, after which Islanders ownership hopes to break ground with the goal of opening the arena by the start of the 2021-22 season. But the Islanders have been trying to build a new arena for decades, so when the team will actually begin play at Belmont is anyone’s guess.It is also anyone’s guess as to which player will be leading that team into Belmont after star center John Tavares left for the Toronto Maple Leafs as a free agent in July. Tavares exited despite the recent arrivals of Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello Scott Wedgewood Jersey Womens , who was named the Islanders’ president of hockey operations May 22, and Trotz, who was named head coach on June 21.With Lamoriello and Trotz in charge, the Islanders are sure to be more defensively sound than last season, when they allowed an NHL-high 296 goals. Even after a stout effort on Thursday, Trotz made it clear he believes New York has a long way to go.“As a coach, you always want perfection,” Trotz told reporters. “We didn’t have perfection tonight.”Neither did the Predators, the Stanley Cup contenders who were hanging on to a 2-1 lead over the rebuilding Rangers before Colton Sissons scored an empty-netter with 1:24 remaining. “I thought we did some good things,” Predators head coach Peter Laviolette said. “There are things that we could be better at.”Pekka Rinne, who made 34 saves in goal for the Predators on Thursday, is likely to draw the start on Saturday. The Islanders are expected to split goaltending duties this season between Thomas Greiss and Robin Lehner, though Greiss’ 45-save effort Thursday night could earn him a second straight start. GLENDALE Conor Sheary Jersey Womens , Ariz. (AP) Darcy Kuemper bounced back nicely for the Arizona Coyotes.Just 2 1/2 weeks after being acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings – and one night after being worked over in a 5-2 loss at Colorado – the goalkeeper earned his 11th career shutout with a 1-0 victory over Vancouver on Sunday night, his and Arizona’s second win over the Canucks in four days.Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored on a power play for the only goal Kuemper needed. Ekman-Larsson is now two shy of 100 career goals.Kuemper, in his fourth straight start for the injured Antti Ranta since being acquired Feb. 21 from Los Angeles, stopped 27 shots.”It’s nice to get these consecutive starts like this and just kind of get in the rhythm out there,” he said. ”Every start I feel more and more comfortable with the team and how we play. Tonight was just a gutsy effort from everyone.”Kuemper’s previous shutout was Feb. 3 for the Kings against the Coyotes.”It was a very solid game. He looked big to me tonight,” Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said. ”A very solid play. It looked like when they shot nothing was going to go in.”Kuemper had 24 saves in the Coyotes’ 2-1 win at Vancouver on Wednesday in his Arizona debut.Although long out of the playoff picture, Arizona rebounded from a 5-2 loss at Colorado the previous night and improved to 10-3-2 in its last games. Vancouver lost its third straight and is 4-10-3 in its last 17.”It’s frustrating,” Canucks forward Bo Horvat said. ”At the same time we need to take the positives out of this one. I thought we did battle hard until the end. I think we came on a little stronger there in the second half, we just have to capitalize on our chances instead.”After mostly uneventful play through one period and most of the second, the Coyotes finally broke through on a power play.With Vancouver defenseman Derrick Pouliot in the penalty box for high-sticking, Ekman-Larsson got loose and sent a sharp shot from outside the circle, just to the right of goalie Jacob Markstrom and Arizona led 1-0 with 4:53 left in the second. It was Ekman-Larsson’s 10th goal of the season. Derek Stepan and Clayton Keller got assists.Kuemper shut down any attempts to tie it after that with 13 third-period saves.Ekman-Larsson said Kuemper has been an easy fit.”It makes it easy when he’s a great guy and you want to battle for him,” Ekman-Larsson said. ”I think everybody’s doing a really good job Tage Thompson Jersey Womens , too. We’re playing better as a team, too. It makes it easy on everyone.”With the victory, Arizona pulled within one game of Buffalo, and two of Ottawa, to escape the bottom of the NHL standings. The Coyotes are four points behind Vancouver in last place in the Pacific Division.The Canucks know they need to step up the offensive pressure early in games.”It’s easier said than done,” coach Travis Green said. ”It’s easy to say from the outside let’s go out and get 10 to 15 shots. We gave up only six (in the first period). I thought we passed up a few chances, a few shots early in the game, but I’d like to see us put the puck in the net. You got to execute, you got to make passes to get scoring chances. That was a tight game both ways.”NOTES: Ranta missed his fourth straight game with a lower body injury. … Coyotes opened a five-game homestand. … Canucks are 6-13-1 against the Pacific Division. … Ekman-Larsson has scored at least 10 goals in five consecutive seasons. He has a point in five of his last six games. … Coyotes lead season series 2-1.UP NEXTCanucks: At Los Angeles on Monday night.Coyotes: Host Los Angeles on Tuesday night.