Islanders' playoff run boosting ticket sales for new arena

NEW YORK -- The New York Islanders' playoff run is helping boost season-ticket sales for their new arena, scheduled to open next year.

The Islanders beat theFlorida Panthersin the qualifying round, then advanced past theWashington Capitalsin the first round. Now, the Isles lead thePhiladelphia Flyers1-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

New York reports 80% of its season tickets for 2021-22, the inaugural season at UBS Arena at Belmont Park, have already been sold.

"The unprecedented demand for season tickets adds a new level of excitement about the team," Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky said in a statement. "The support from our loyal Islanders fans across the metro NY region has been tremendous."

The team says it has sold nearly 10,000 full season tickets for UBS Arena's first season.

For comparison, the Islanders say they sold about 3,500 full season tickets for the 2018-19 season. After reaching the conference semifinals a year ago, in the first season under coach Barry Trotz, they sold nearly 7,000 full season tickets for this past season. Games were split between Nassau Coliseum and Brooklyn's Barclays Center both years.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.