As long expected and nearly as long negotiated, the NHL has agreed to have its players participate in the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, resulting in a two-week February break in the NHL schedule.

With that hurdle cleared, the NHL also released its regular season schedule, which has the New York Islanders opening in Newark to play the Devils Friday, Oct. 4, before welcoming new division brother Columbus to the Coliseum on Saturday, Oct. 5.

The name of that division means its colors might as well be blue and orange: The Metropolitan Division (even including Pittsburgh!). The old Atlantic moniker is transferred to the ashes of the old Northeast, which now includes the two Florida teams and the not-at-all-Atlantic-but-eminently-depressing Detroit and Buffalo.

Olympics

From the NHL release, which also includes the schedule of Olympic hockey games:

NHL players will be available to the 12 participating IIHF Member National Associations for the men's Olympic ice hockey tournament (February 12-23, 2014). This will mark the fifth consecutive time dating back to Nagano 1998 that NHL players have participated in the Olympics. More than 120 NHL players are expected to compete for their respective nations in Sochi.

Here are those 12 members, which include Michael Grabner's Austria but tragically leave Frans Nielsen's Denmark out, for the hockey gods work in mysterious ways.

Group A Group B Group C Russia Austria Czech Republic Slovenia Canada Latvia Slovakia Finland Switzerland United States Norway Sweden

For the first time in five years, Switzerland's entry into a national tournament no longer concerns the Islanders now that Mark Streit and Nino Niederreiter have been traded. But it would be a shock if Hart Trophy finalist and Canadian star John Tavares isn't very busy in February when most of his teammates will be resting.

Other candidates include Lubomir Visnovsky for Slovakia and perhaps Kyle Okposo, who was not on the 2010 U.S. Olympic squad but has participated in three World Championships since then.

Islanders Regular Season Schedule

From the Islanders' official site: