A few times it made all the difference between playoffs/no playoffs or a much higher seed.
My thinking on this subject has always been the empty seats/opposing fans played a huge part, same as why the Islanders strong fan support at Msg/Newark upset the Rangers/Devils.
And obviously the Islanders game day routine/travel distances being any different than the Rangers who live near their Greenberg facility is simply not true.
The Islanders have had players who lived in Manhattan, Brian Rolston stayed in the same house he lived in with the Devils when he commuted from New Jersey.
The first time I read of the Islanders booking rooms at home goes as far back as March 2003 which even had former Vancouver (huge travel miles team) Canucks Adrian Aucoin, saying "He's never seen a schedule this bad."
