Game Preview: Islanders vs Sharks

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (10-7-6) VS SAN JOSE SHARKS (6-17-2)

7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS

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The New York Islanders are on the hunt for their third consecutive win when they host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at UBS Arena, in the first of a season-long six game homestand.

The Islanders are coming off a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night in Sunrise. Anders Lee (PPG), Pierre Engvall, Simon Holmstrom and Julien Gauthier (GWG) scored for the Islanders to power their second consecutive win, while Ilya Sorokin turned aside 42 of 45 shots. The victory boosted the Islanders (26 points) into a playoff spot in the tight Metropolitan Division standings, but a Philadelphia Flyers win on Monday knocked the Isles back out.

The Sharks came up short against the New York Rangers on Sunday night, falling 6-5 at Madison Square Garden. Anthony Duclair (1G, 1A), Ryan Carpenter, Jacob MacDonald, Fabian Zetterlund and Alexander Barabanov found the back of the net in the high-scoring affair, but it wasn't enough to overcome a hat trick from Artemi Panarin (3G, 1A) and goals from Mika Zibanejad, Will Cuylle and K'Andre Miller. Mackenzie Blackwood made 30 saves in the loss.

After a stretch of playing eight of their last 10 games on the road – earning 10 of 16 points available (4-2-2) in away games over that span – the Islanders are heading into a six-game homestand at UBS Arena.

“Feeling good at home and gaining that momentum is really important.” Ryan Pulock said on Monday. “We have a stretch here that we need to take advantage of. We have to find a way to collect some points in this homestand.”

MORNING SKATE UPDATES:

- Brock Nelson and Noah Dobson joined the team for morning skate on Tuesday after missing Monday's practice (maintenance) and will draw into the lineup against the Sharks, per Head Coach Lane Lambert.

- Sebastian Aho (IR, upper-body) skated with the team on Tuesday, but his timeline for a return is to be determined.

- Kaapo Kahkonen will start between the pipes for San Jose. 

- Defenseman Marc-Édouard Vlasic is expected to draw into the lineup for the first time in four games. The 36-year-old is without a point through 14 games this season.

ISLANDERS NOTES 

- Mathew Barzal earned the NHL’s Second Star of the Week after a seven-point effort through two games, recording a goal and two assists on Tuesday against the Devils and a goal and three assists on Thursday against the Hurricanes. He missed Saturday’s game due to illness but joined the team for Monday’s practice.  

- Brock Nelson and Noah Dobson took maintenance days on Monday. Nelson exited the game late in the second period on Saturday but returned for the final frame. Head Coach Lane Lambert said both players will be evaluated on Tuesday ahead of the Isles’ matchup against the Sharks.  

- Julien Gauthier drew into the lineup for four straight games on Saturday and made a huge impact on the scoresheet. He netted the game-winner and an assist in Saturday’s 4-3 contest against the Panthers, moved to a line with Anders Lee and Bo Horvat midway through the game. The 26-year-old winger has three points (1G, 2A) through six games this season.  

“We’re cognizant of the fact that he was working hard when he was out,” Head Coach Lane Lambert said. “He had a great attitude when he wasn’t playing, so when you do that and get a chance, it can transform into good things.” 

- Bo Horvat is riding a three-game point streak with four points (2G, 2A) over that span. 

- Simon Holmstrom is on a two-game goal streak. The 22-year-old winger established a career-high in goals with his seventh of the season in Saturday’s 4-3 win. He is the only player in the NHL with at least five goals without recording any assists this season.  
 
“That’s just the way it goes, sometimes you make plays and set people up and it just doesn’t go in the net,” Lambert said. “I’m not worried about [that]. He’s a very intelligent player and sees the ice well, I just think he continues to make strides.” 

- The Islanders’ power play (23.4%) ranks ninth in the NHL. 

- The Islanders picked up all four points against the Sharks last season through two meetings. After Tuesday’s matchup at UBS Arena, the Islanders will visit San Jose on March 7th to open their California road trip.

SHARKS NOTES 

- After starting the season winless through their first 11 games (0-10-1) the Sharks have since stabilized a bit, owning a record of 6-7-1 in their last 14 games.  

- Fabian Zetterlund leads the Sharks in goals (7) in his first full season with San Jose. The 24-year-old has three goals in his last five games. 

- Tomas Hertl leads the team in points (18) and assists (14), picking up six points (6A) in his last five contests. Hertl is a career Shark, playing all of his 11 NHL seasons with San Jose and is expected to play in his 700th NHL game this season.  

- The Sharks are allowing a league-high 4.00 goals per game, a number no doubt inflated by back-to-back games where San Jose allowed 10 goals. The Shark are also averaging the fewest goals per game in the league at 1.88. 

- Ryan Carpenter was placed on the team's IR list on Monday with an undisclosed injury and will not face the Islanders on Tuesday. The 32-year-old forward netted his first goal of the season on Sunday against the Rangers in his first year with San Jose. Also placed on IR on Monday was Ty Emberson, who missed Sunday's game with a lower-body injury.  

- Captain Logan Couture (lower body) began the season on IR and has not played or practiced with his team yet this year.  

- Alexander Barabanov scored a goal in his return to the lineup on Sunday after he missed 18 games with a broken finger.  

- Mikael Granlund is heating up for the Sharks in his first season with the team, recording seven points (2G, 5A) in his last five games including a three-point performance on Friday in a 6-3 win over the Devils.