Finally, Seattle Kraken's Jordan Eberle gets to face the Islanders

Finally, the game Jordan Eberle has anticipated since the Seattle Kraken selected him from the Islanders in the offseason expansion draft is able to be played.

The third time is a charm for the two teams on Wednesday night at UBS Arena after they had two previously scheduled games postponed. Saturday afternoon’s snow-out meant this contest instead would end the Islanders’ seven-game homestand and send both teams into the All-Star break.

The Islanders were also supposed to play in Seattle on Jan. 4 as part of a road trip that included Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary. But with Canadian cities limiting attendance because of a COVID-19 surge, the league opted to push those games later in the season. The Islanders will now make their first visit to Seattle on Feb. 22 to start a five-game trip.

"It’s been the one that you circle right when you see the schedule," Eberle said last week. "My time on the Island was obviously pretty fun. Any time you go through eight or nine playoff series with pretty much the same group, you’re going to gain some friendships. That’s the hardest part. We’ve been through a lot as a group when I was there."

This season has not necessarily been easy for either party.

Eberle entered Wednesday as the Kraken’s second-leading scorer with 12 goals and 13 assists in 43 games. But the streaky Eberle has gone 20 games without a goal.

"It’s been a weird year," Eberle said. "Any time you start with a new franchise, it’s very new. Our goal from Day 1 was to try and build a culture, build an identity. Lately, we’ve been starting to find it. We still need all things to click. I haven’t scored in a while. We need to find some offense from the power play and myself."

Meanwhile, the Islanders, finally fully healthy, have endured a roller-coaster season beset by injuries, COVID-19 outbreaks, scheduling quirks and postponements. They entered Wednesday 17 points behind the Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s final wild-card spot. The Kraken lost, 3-2, at Boston on Tuesday night, while the Islanders snapped a two-game losing streak by beating the Senators.

That left the Islanders with a 6.2% chance of qualifying for the playoffs for a fourth straight time under Barry Trotz, per HockeyReference.com. They lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Lightning in the NHL semifinals in each of the last two seasons.

Eberle was a big part of both runs, and Trotz has searched most of the season to find the correct successor on right wing for Mathew Barzal’s top line with Anders Lee.

Eberle, in the third season of a five-year, $27.5 million deal, spent four seasons with the Islanders after being acquired from the Oilers. He had 76 goals and 93 assists in 272 regular-season games for the Islanders and added 13 goals and 21 assists in 49 playoff games.

"The best memories are also the worst memories," Eberle said. "Making it to the conference final both times and losing, especially last year in Game 7. Those are the memories that I share. When you go through so many playoff series with pretty much the same group, you gain friendships, you gain bonds and that’s the stuff that you’ll remember for sure when you leave this game."

Eberle left the Islanders just before they opened their long-awaited new arena. He was looking forward to stepping foot into the finished product.

"You talk to the guys, UBS sounds like it’s an amazing arena," Eberle said. "I know the fans and the guys, they’ve enjoyed every bit of it. So, I’m excited to play there."

Finally.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.