Game Preview: Islanders at Sharks

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (35-27-8) AT SAN JOSE SHARKS (19-36-14)
10:30 PM ET | SAP CENTER
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The New York Islanders will look to wrap their California road trip on a high note with a matchup against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.
The Islanders are up 1-0 in the season series after a 5-2 win over the Sharks on Oct. 18. Anders Lee, Zach Parise, Oliver Wahlstrom (2G) and Cal Clutterbuck (EN) found the back of the net in the victory, while Nico Sturm and Evgeny Svechnikov (1G, 1A) netted a pair of goals for the Sharks.

The Islanders bounced back and snapped a two-game winless skid with a momentous 6-3 win on Wednesday night over the Anaheim Ducks. Kyle Palmieri (1G, 3A), Hudson Fasching, Brock Nelson (2G), Pierre Engvall (1G, 1A) and Zach Parise (1G, 1A) scored for New York, while Max Jones and Kevin Shattenkirk (2G) buried goals for Anaheim. Ilya Sorokin started in back-to-back games, making 20 saves in-between the pipes in his fourth straight win against the Ducks, going 4-0-0 in his career with a 1.75 GAA over that span.
"[We have to] keep playing like we did in the second half of the last game," Sebastian Aho said after practice on Friday. "The structure was good, and we didn't give up a lot. If we keep that structure, we'll get chances."
The Sharks dropped a 2-1 OT decision to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday night, extending their winless streak to five games (0-3-2). William Eklund opened the scoring early in the third frame on a penalty shot, while Seattle's Oliver Bjorkstrand potted a goal midway through the final frame to force overtime. Vince Dunn won it in the extra frame to earn two points for Seattle.
The Islanders are gripping onto the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 78 points, while the Sharks sit last in the Pacific Division with 52 points and have been eliminated from playoff contention. The Islanders are 5-1-3 in their last nine matchups against San Jose, but are winless in their last three excursions to SAP Center (0-1-2).

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The Islanders are slotted in the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, tied with Pittsburgh with 78 points, though the Penguins have two games in-hand. Florida (75 points, 68 GP) is on the doorstep of a wild card spot, after a 9-5 win over Montreal on Thursday night.
  - Casey Cizikas and Josh Bailey both missed Friday's practice with non-covid illnesses, but are expected to be available on Saturday.
  - With a 6-3 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday, the Islanders scored six goals for the first time since Jan. 3 and boosted their road record to meet the NHL-.500, going 15-15-5 this season. The Islanders overcame a 2-1 deficit in Wednesday's win, marking their 17th comeback of the season.
  - Brock Nelson buried his 30th goal of the season on Wednesday, becoming the first Islander since Anders Lee to record consecutive 30-goal seasons. Nelson also deepened his career-high to 65 points and overtook Horvat for the team lead in points in the process.
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  - Kyle Palmieri had a four-point night for the first time in his career, with a goal and three helpers against the Ducks.
  - Pierre Engvall scored in three consecutive games with four points (3G, 1A) over that span, also tying his career-best in goals (15).
  "He's been using his speed and his skill," Captain Anders Lee said of Engvall. "He's been flying around. I thought he had a strong game with [Nelson] and [Palmieri]. Those three were working [together] really well, a huge reason why we won."
  - The Islanders are 10-5-3 since the All-Star break.

SHARKS NOTES:

• San Jose's four game homestand will conclude with Saturday's meeting with the Islanders. The Sharks are 6-19-10 on home ice this season.
  - William Eklund scored his first NHL goal on Tuesday against Columbus and followed up with his second on Thursday against Seattle, becoming the second youngest player in franchise history to score on a penalty shot. The 20-year-old winger is riding a two-game point streak and has three points (2G, 1A) in seven games played this season. Eklund was drafted in the first round in 2021 (7th overall) by the Sharks and played in nine games last season, racking up four assists over that span.
  - Evgeny Svechnikov left Thursday's game after a hit and did not return.
  - Logan Couture is hot for San Jose, recording five points (2G, 3A) in his last three games. The veteran forward is sporting a 50+ point season for the ninth time in his career.
  - The Sharks parted ways with Timo Meier in a deal with New Jersey ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Meier led the Sharks with 31 goals and was second on the team with 52 points at the time of his trade. Meier had 316 points (154G, 162A) in 451 games over seven seasons with San Jose.
  - Erik Karlsson leads the Sharks in assists (65) and points overall (85) in his fifth season with San Jose. The 32-year-old defenseman is reaching new heights in his 14th NHL season, recording a career high in points, and reaching the 20-goal mark for the third time in his career. His 65 assists rank third in the NHL and first among all defensemen.
  - Tomas Hertl is third on the team in goals (19) and second in assists (36). The 29-year-old forward buried his 200th career goal on Sunday against Minnesota.
  - Nikolai Knyzhov returned to the lineup on Mar. 6 after recovering from surgery from a torn Achilles tendon. The 24-year-old defenseman has battled lengthy injuries since his NHL debut in 2020, suffering a groin injury that kept him out of the entire 2021-22 season. Knyzhov scored his first goal of the season on Tuesday in his fifth game since his return.
  - The Sharks' penalty kill ranks seventh in the NHL (82.5%).