Game Preview: Islanders at Sharks

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (3-3-0) AT SAN JOSE SHARKS (3-3-1)
10:30 PM ET - SAP CENTER
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GAME NOTES | MORNING SKATE UPDATES
The New York Islanders finish their four-game western conference road trip on Saturday night when they take on the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center (10:30 p.m., MSG+).
The Islanders are 1-2-0 on their western swing, coming off a 7-2 rout over the LA Kings on Thursday night. This is the second and final meeting between the teams this season.

SEASON SERIES:

The Islanders lead the season series 1-0-0, shutting out the Sharks 4-0 in a Columbus Day matinee in Brooklyn. Robin Lehner made 35 saves in the win.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• Robin Lehner's status is up in the air for Saturday's contest as the goalie left Thursday's win after taking a shot up high late in the third period. Lehner is 2-1-0 this season (he was credited with the win against the Kings) with a 2.09 goals-against average, a .935 save percentage and one shutout. Lehner recorded a 35-save shutout against the Sharks on Oct. 8 for his first win as an Islander.
  UPDATE: Lehner will start in goal. Tom Kuhnhackl is in for Anthony Beauvillier (illness). Read more from morning skate.
  - If Lehner can't go, Thomas Greiss will get another crack against his former team. Greiss has started the Isles past three games in San Jose, going 2-1-0, including a 40-save performance in a 3-1 win last season.
  - The Islanders are currently riding a three-game winning streak against the Sharks. They've also won three of their last five games at the Shark Tank and are 3-2-1 in their last six visits.
  - Valtteri Filppula scored his team-leading fourth goal of the season on Thursday. Casey Cizikas is second on the team with three goals. Mathew Barzal leads the Islanders with seven points.

SHARKS NOTES:

• The Sharks are 2-1-1 since being shut out by the Islanders on Oct. 8. The two wins have come by wide margins, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 8-2 on Oct. 9 and beating the Buffalo Sabres 5-1 on Thursday.
  - Evander Kane leads the Sharks with seven points and is tied with Logan Couture for the team lead in goals with four. Kane has five points (2G, 3A) in his past four games.
  - Joe Thornton has missed five straight games with a knee injury. His status is doubtful for Saturday, according to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz.
  - As counterintuitive as it may seem, the Sharks power play had trouble finding its groove with both Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson on the top unit. The Sharks were 2-for-21 with the Norris Trophy winners together and separated the two on Thursday against Buffalo.
  The early returns were good, with San Jose scoring three power-play goals against the Sabres. Who wound up on the top unit? Both actually. According to Kurz, Burns and Karlsson took turns with the top unit and if that holds for Saturday's game, the Islanders could have to deal with one of the two defenseman on the ice at all times with the man advantage.

ISLANDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: SCOTT MAYFIELD

Scott Mayfield is the Islanders highest-scoring defenseman in the early goings of the 2018-19 season. Mayfield has five points (1G, 4A) in four games this season and dished a career-high three assists in Thursday's 7-2 win over LA. The 26-year-old defenseman is riding a two-game point streak, picking up an assist in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Anaheim.

SHARKS PLAYER TO WATCH: BRENT BURNS

Brent Burns, one of the premier offensive defensemen in the NHL with 278 points in the past four seasons, is up to his usual routine to start the 2018-19 season. Burns has six assists in seven games this year and brings a four-game point streak to Saturday's contest. Everything Burns does is big, from his hits, to his production to his trademark beard and the Islanders can expect to see a lot of him, as he averages 24:47 TOI/GP, second only to Erik Karlsson (25:49).