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Penguins Playoff Schedule Problem? Islanders Arena Booked

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UPDATE 10:30 a.m.: The NHL has announced the Round One playoff schedule. Game 2 will be Friday night.

The couch-surfing New York Islanders are in the playoffs but their temporary home is booked next weekend. New York and the Pittsburgh Penguins will begin the 2018-19 playoffs this week, but the logistics could become less than ideal as cartoon characters apparently rented the barn for the entire weekend before anyone considered the Islanders would make the playoffs.

A live show of Disney Channel animation PJ Masks will fill the Nassau County Coliseum Friday night, for three shows on Saturday and one Sunday afternoon, which could push the NHL into creative booking.

The NHL has billed the beginning of the playoffs as Wednesday, April 10. So, the league will have a few choices regarding Game 2 for the Penguins and Islanders:

–Play Game 1 Wednesday, force the arena to cancel PJ Masks on Friday night and risk the wrath of thousands of Long Island mothers.

–Play Game 1 Thursday and try to squeeze Game 2 on Sunday night. That would make for a great ice surface, wouldn’t it?

–Play Game 1 Wednesday and go back-to-back with Game 2 on Thursday.

Or, the NHL could feature the Penguins and Islanders as the lone game on Tuesday night to begin the playoffs, one day early. That is, of course, if the Dodgeball Regional Qualifying Tournament and Grammar Jamboree hasn’t already rented the building. There was some scuttle around PPG Paints Arena the Tuesday solution could happen.

The NHL will announce the playoff schedule Sunday.

The Penguins secured third place in the Metro Division by virtue of gaining a point in their 4-3 OT loss to the New York Rangers, Saturday night. The Islanders shutout Washington 3-0 to clinch second place.

In an NHL only twist, both the Penguins and Islanders were 2-1-1 against each other because each team won and lost in a shootout. The teams have not played since Dec. 10, which is well before the Penguins February trade acquisitions of Nick Bjugstad, Jared McCann, and Erik Gudbranson. The Penguins won the Dec. 10 meeting, 2-1 in a shootout.