Game Preview: Islanders at Sharks

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (28-26-7) AT SAN JOSE SHARKS (17-38-9)

10 PM EST | SAP CENTER

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The New York Islanders are out west and ready to take on the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on Saturday night.

The Islanders had three days between games after they defeated the league-leading Winnipeg Jets with a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night at UBS Arena. Kyle Palmieri (PPG), Ryan Pulock and Brock Nelson scored for New York, while Ilya Sorokin made 26 saves in the win.

The Islanders (63 points) are four points back of the Ottawa Senators (67 point) for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference after the Sens lost 5-2 to the Washington Capitals on Friday. Though the Islanders are in striking distance of a wild card spot, four teams stand between themselves and the Senators in a competitive race. Now with the NHL Deadline in the books, the Islanders are locked in and focused on making a playoff push.

“Everyone in this room is excited for the challenge,” Kyle Palmieri said. “Now that the deadline’s behind us, this is the group we’re going to do it with. We’re excited.”

The Sharks are coming off a 7-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. Macklin Celebrini (PPG) buried his 20th goal of the season in the loss, while Fabian Zetterlund and William Eklund also scored for the Sharks. Alexandar Georgiev stopped 25 of 32 shots in defeat.

SEASON SERIES

The Islanders are up on the season series 1-0-0 after a 4-1 win over the Sharks on Jan. 18, which kicked off a season-long, seven-game winning streak for the Isles. New York 5-0-4 in its last nine games against the Sharks, including 2-0-2 on the road.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES

- Mike Reilly was activated off IR and is on the road with the team, but Head Coach Patrick Roy did not give a timeline for the defenseman's return. He will not play against the Sharks.

- Matt Martin has also been activated off IR.

- Marcus Hogberg practiced with the team on Friday in San Jose for the first time since he was injured on Jan. 25, and was on the ice again on Saturday for morning skate. Roy did not reveal his goaltending plan for the back-to-back set.

ISLES NOTES

- The biggest news from the NHL Trade Deadline for the Islanders is the departure of Brock Nelson, who was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night along with William Dufour. In return, the Islanders received Calum Ritchie, a 2026 or 2027 first-round pick and a conditional third-round pick in 2028. The Isles also recieved Oliver Kylington, but flipped the defenseman to the Anaheim Ducks for future considerations.

- Nelson’s 901 NHL games played, all with the Islanders, ranks fourth in franchise history. His 547 career points are fifth in club history, while his 295 goals are in fifth place. It feels like an end of an era for the Islanders fanbase and the team, as the Isles spoke on Nelson’s character and impact in the locker room for 12 seasons of his tenure.

“He meant everything,” Casey Cizikas said of Nelson. “He was the leader on off the ice. He gave he had everything he had every single night. He’s a guy that you could easily follow into battle and his personality inside the locker room was awesome. Nelson’s a tough guy to lose. He means a lot to this organization, he means a lot to us in this room. We’re wishing him nothing but the best.”

- Ritchie, 20, has 68 points (15G, 53A) through 42 games this season for the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League. The 6’2,” 185 lbs. forward has played seven NHL games, as he scored his first goal and point against the Islanders in a 6-2 loss for the Avs on Oct. 14.

- The Islanders made another move before the deadline, acquiring Adam Beckman from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Dennis Cholowski on Friday. Beckman has 33 points (13G, 20A) through 43 games this season for the Utica Comets, the Devils’ AHL affiliate. The 22-year-old winger has three assists through 23 NHL games played across three seasons for the Minnesota Wild who drafted him in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft (75th overall).

- Cholowski concludes his time with the Islanders with 10 points (3G, 7A) through 35 NHL games and 70 points (9G, 61A) in 141 games played with the Bridgeport Islanders.

- Marcus Hogberg skated with the team on Friday for the first time since he sustained an injury on Jan. 25. The netminder sustained an upper-body injury after three periods in a 3-2 OT win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 25, where Ilya Sorokin made a relief appearance in overtime and made one save in the win. Hogberg is 2-2-0 this season, and has a .947 SV% and a 1.45 GAA through five starts and seven appearances.

"The fact that [Hogberg] was on the ice, it's a good sign," said Head Coach Patrick Roy after Friday's practice.

- Sorokin is the expected starting netminder on Saturday against the Sharks. It’ll mark his 32^nd start in the last 37 games.

SHARKS NOTES

- Like the Islanders, the Sharks were also busy before the NHL Trade Deadline. San Jose acquired forwards Zack Ostapchuk, Noah Gregor, and a second-round draft pick in the 2025 NHL Draft from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for forwards Fabian Zetterlund, Tristen Robins and the Sharks' 2025 fourth-round draft pick.

- The Sharks parted ways with forward Luke Kunin in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets, receiving a fourth-round pick in this year's draft in return. Kunin, 27, tallied 18 points (11G, 7A) through 63 games with the Sharks this season.

- San Jose also dealt Jake Walman in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers, receiving Carl Berglund and a conditional first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The defenseman collected 32 points (6G, 32A) through 50 games this season.

- Macklin Celebrini ranks second on the sharks in scoring with 46 points (20G, 26A). Celebrini's 20 goals is tied with Matvei Michkov for most goals among rookies in the NHL. The 18-year-old, who was drafted by the Sharks first overall in the 2024 NHL Draft, has goals in two straight games.

- William Eklund's 48 points (14G, 34A) lead the Sharks in scoring in his second full season with the team. The 22-year-old winger is riding a four-game point streak (2G, 4A) leading into Saturday’s contest against the Isles. He eclipsed 100 career NHL points with a two-point game (1G, 1A) in Thursday’s 7-3 loss to the Avs.

- The Sharks have a 3.70 GA/GP ranks 32^nd in the NHL.