Game Preview: Islanders vs Sharks

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (34-20-6) VS SAN JOSE SHARKS (26-31-4)
5 PM | NYCB LIVE | BUY TICKETS
FIRST RESPONDERS NIGHT
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The New York Islanders earned a much-needed bounce-back win on Friday night, as the Isles defeated Detroit 4-1 to snap a four-game losing streak. Jordan Eberle recorded his first hat trick as an Islander, while Leo Komarov scored an empty net goal and Semyon Varlamov made 21 saves. Prior to puck drop, the Isles honored former Islander and four-time Stanley Cup champion John Tonelli as the franchise retired No. 27.

San Jose lost its third-straight game in regulation as they fell to the New York Rangers 3-2 on Saturday night. Joe Thornton scored twice including once on the power play, while Aaron Dell made 30 saves. The Sharks are in the midst of a Metropolitan Division road trip and completed on the first leg of their back-to-back set against the New York teams.

MORNING SKATE UPDATES:

• The Isles did not skate ahead of tonight's 5 p.m. puck drop against San Jose.
  - Derick Brassard and Noah Dobson skated on their own. Brassard has missed one game after he did not return from taking a puck to the head against Colorado on Wednesday night. Brassard is still day-to-day as confirmed by Head Coach Barry Trotz during availability on Sunday.
  - Cal Clutterbuck, who has been placed on Long Term Injured Reserve and is on a conditioning sting with in Bridgeport, played in his first game last night since Dec. 19 after suffering a wrist laceration.
  "He's came back and is a little bit ahead of schedule," Trotz said. "I thought he did a fine job in his first game back]. It was sort of what I expected."
  -
  [San Jose's projected lines:
  Meier - Thornton - Lablanc
  Kane - Goodrow - Marleau
  Sorensen - Kellman - Noesen
  Gambrell - True - Gregor
  Simek - Burns
  Vlasic - Ferraro
  Middelton - Heed
  Jones
  Dell

ISLES NOTES:

• Eberle scored his first hat trick as an Islander and the third hat trick of his NHL career. The winger scored a goal in each period as he netted his 11th, 12th and 13th goals of the season. Through 50 games this season, Eberle has 34 points (13G, 21A). Eberle's third goal came on the power play and was his third power-play goal of the season.
  - Komarov found the back of the net for the fourth time this season. Komarov had left the game in the second period when he was hit by a puck in the ankle, but he returned to play during the third period. The winger has 14 points (4G, 10A) through 41 games.
  MORE COVERAGE
  WRITTEN COVERAGE
  Notes: NYI 4, DET 1
  Tonelli Thankful for Jersey Retirement
  Isles DTD: Clutterbuck on LTIR, Koivula Recalled
  ISLES TV
  Tonelli Jersey Retirement
  Recap: NYI 4, DET 1
  - While Tonelli's No. 27 was lifted to the rafters, the former Islander made an agreement to allow the Islanders captain Anders Lee to continue wearing No. 27 for the remainder of his career with the Isles. On the special night for Tonelli, Lee recorded two assists. The winger has 35 points (17G, 18A) through 60 games.
  - Mathew Barzal registered an assist and reached the 50-point mark for the third straight season. The 22-year-old center now has 197 career points (58G, 139A) in 226 career games. Through 60 games this season, Barzal leads the Isles in assists (32) and points (50).
  - Varlamov made his 34th start of the season and his fourth-straight start as he improved his record to 18-12-4. The Russian netminder has a 2.51 goals against average and a .918 save percentage.
  - The Isles allowed their first power-play goal in six games (going 1-for-2 on the penalty kill) and scored their first power-play goal in seven games (going 1-for-5 on the night). In the NHL, the Isles penalty kill is ranked 15th overall at 80.5% while their power play is ranked 22nd at 17.9%.
  - Andrew Ladd and Otto Koivula were recalled from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on Friday morning. The recalls were necessary as Derick Brassard is day-to-day with an upper-body injury sustained against Colorado on Wednesday evening and Kieffer Bellows was loaned to Bridgeport. Ladd drew into the left-wing spot of the Isles third line with Josh Bailey at center and Michael Dal Colle on the right and logged 11:25 including 1:02 shorthanded and threw six hits. Koivula skated between Matt Martin and Tom Kuhnhackl and played 7:53 and had one shot on goal.
  - The Isles entered the game outside of a playoff spot for the first time since October 23rd. After defeating Detroit, the Isles advanced to fourth in the Metropolitan Division with 74 points and a record of 34-20-6.

Video: To the rafters: John Tonelli #27

SHARKS NOTES:

• Thornton scored his third and fourth goals of the season and his first power-play goal of the 2019-20 campaign. The Sharks veteran has 27 points (4G, 23A) through 61 games.
  - Brent Burns registered an assist on Thornton's power-play goal. The defenseman leads the Sharks in points with 42 (12G, 30A) through 61 games. Burns also leads the Sharks in power-play points with 15.
  - Evander Kane returned to action after sitting out for a three-game suspension for elbowing Winnipeg's Neal Pionk in the head on Feb. 14. Kane played 12:19, including 3:52 on the power play and 0:33 shorthanded, and had four shots on goal. The winger leads San Jose in goals with his 21. Through 55 games this season, Kane has 37 points.
  - Dell made his 26th start of the season, while his record dropped to 12-13-2. The 30-year-old goaltender has a 2.89 GAA and a .909 SV%.
  - On Feb. 18, the Sharks traded defenseman Brendan Dillon to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 2020 second-round draft selection (the pick was originally Colorado's, previously acquired by Washington) and a third-round draft selection in either 2020 or 2021.
  - The Sharks penalty kill was perfect 2-for-2 against the Rangers and is first in the NHL with a kill percentage of 85.9%.
  - San Jose's power play went 1-for-4 against New York and is ranked 25th in the NHL at 16.3%.
  - San Jose returns to Long Island for the first time since Oct.16, 2014. The Islanders went 3-1-0 against the Sharks in Brooklyn.
  - Sharks captain Logan Couture has been sidelined since Jan. 7 with an ankle injury, but is nearing his return. The center has participated in two morning skates, but there is no updated timeline for a return to practice or game action.
  - The Sharks announced on Feb. 15, that defenseman Erik Karlsson will be out for the remainder of the season after suffering a broken thumb that will require surgery.

ISLES VS. SHARKS:

The Isles and Sharks last met on Nov. 23, 2019 in San Jose where the Sharks collected two points with a 2-1 overtime win in what became the final game of the Isles' 17-game point streak. Casey Cizikas scored the Isles sole goal while Varlamov made 24 saves.