Maybe all went according to the NHL’s plan on Sunday, when the Rangers and Islanders put on a riveting, 11-goal show that needed overtime to decide the winner in front of 79,690 fans at MetLife Stadium in what was the two clubs’ first regular-season meeting in 423 days.
Was this exactly how they drew it up all along?
Did the schedule-makers sit down, look at the slates for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons and think, “Well, supply and demand, if we withhold the Battle of New York for as long as possible, fans will have no choice but to shell out to see it in New Jersey?”
I’ll tip my cap to the NHL. They appeared to fill every single seat in that stadium despite the 30-degree temperatures that probably felt colder due to the wind chill. Between Saturday’s Devils-Flyers and Sunday, 150,018 people paid to watch regular-season games in February.
