UBS Keys to the Game: Islanders at Sharks

NEW YORK ISLANDERS (19-20-7) AT SAN JOSE SHARKS (22-22-6)10:30 PM ET | SAP CENTERWATCH: MSG+ | MSG GO | ESPN+LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | 98.7FM
The New York Islanders look to extend their point streak (2-0-1) to four games as they enter the California portion of their trip with the first stop against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

The Islanders began their five-game west coast road trip with a 5-2 victory over Seattle on Tuesday. Zach Parise powered the scoring with two goals (one empty net), while Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri and Casey Cizikas also found the back of the net. Ilya Sorokin made 23 saves on 25 shots in the victory.
The Islanders and Sharks last met on Dec. 2 at UBS Arena where San Jose claimed a 2-1 victory in overtime.

ISLANDERS NOTES:

• The newly formed line of Parise, Mathew Barzal and Palmieri combined for five points (3G, 2A) against Seattle.
ISLES VS SHARKS
ISLANDERS ARTICLES
3 Takeaways: Islanders Storm Past Kraken in 5-2 Win
Isles Longread: HISTORZEE
The Bridgeport Report: Feb. 22, 2022
Islanders Prospect Report: Feb. 21, 2022
ISLANDERS VIDEO
Trotz Pregame: Coming Soon
Player Pregame: Coming Soon
GAME EXTRAS
Talkin' Isles
Isles Deposit
Isles STM Reserve List
• Parise scored his fifth and sixth goals of the season and completed his first two-goal effort since Jan. 14, 2020. Parise now has 19 points (6G, 13A) through 46 games.
• After only having one goal through 29 games, Palmieri put away his fourth goal in as many games. The winger has totaled 11 points (5G, 6A) through 33 games this season.
• Barzal dished out an assist as he made his return to Seattle, where he played his junior hockey career. Barzal leads the Islanders in scoring with 34 points (12G, 22A) through 43 games.
• Nelson buried his team-leading 18th goal of the season and is now riding a three-game goal streak where he has four points (3G, 1A) during that span. The centerman has posted 27 points (18G, 9A) through 37 games.
• Cizikas notched his fifth goal of the season and now has seven points (5G, 2A) through 39 games.
• Sorokin made his seventh-consecutive start and with his 23-save performance, improved his record to 16-11-6. The Russian netminder has a 2.43 GAA a .921 SV% and four shutouts.
• Zdeno Chara played in his 1,651st-career game and tied Chris Chelios the most NHL games played by an NHL defenseman. Chara will break the record when he plays his next game, which is expected to be Thursday.
• The Islanders improved to 14-4-4 when scoring first. They opened the scoring against Seattle on Tuesday, marking the second time in the past 13 games they'd scored first.
• The Islanders were 0-for-1 on the power play and 1-for-1 on the penalty kill. In the NHL, their power play ranks 22nd at 18.8% while their penalty kill ranks ninth at 82.7%.
• Oliver Wahlstrom, Andy Greene and Ross Johnston were healthy scratches against Seattle.
• Semyon Varlamov backed up Sorokin after being activated off the COVID non-roster on Monday. Varlamov owns a 3-9-1 record and a 2.57 GAA and a .916 SV%.

SHARKS NOTES:

• The Sharks are currently amid a seven-game winless streak (0-3-4), with their last win coming on January 26 in Washington, and are 1-5-4 in their last 10 games. Most recently, the Sharks are coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks.
Brent Burns had three points (1G, 2A) in the loss, while Logan Couture scored a pair of goals for the Sharks.
James Reimer stopped 26-of-29 shots in regulation and allowed two goals on three shots in the shootout.
• The Sharks (50 points, 50GP) are currently nine points back of the LA Kings (59 points, 50GP) for the second Wild Card in the Western Conference with the same number of games played. The loss to the Ducks was also costly as Anaheim also boast 59 points, but the Sharks hold three games in hand. Dallas (56 points, 49 GP), Vancouver (54 points, 52GP) and Winnipeg (52 points, 50GP) also stand between San Jose and the second Wild Card.
• San Jose is 11-11-3 at home and 11-11-3 on the road. The Sharks have a -21 goal differential at The Tank.
• The Sharks claimed forward Ryan Dzingel off waivers on Monday. Dzingel was traded from the Arizona Coyotes to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 19, but was placed on waivers by the Maple Leafs. Dzingel had seven points (4G, 3A) in 26 games with the Coyotes before being traded and made his Sharks debut on Tuesday. Dzingel was a two-time 22-goal scorer with Ottawa from 2017-19. San Jose is Dzingel's fifth stop since being dealt by Ottawa in the 2018-19 season.
• Timo Meier leads San Jose in goals (23) and points (52) this season and is tied with Burns for the team lead in assists. Meier has five points (2G, 3A) in his last three games.
• Defenseman Erik Karlsson remains sidelined after undergoing forearm surgery in late January. The injury is expected to keep the two-time Norris Trophy winner out until mid-March. Karlsson had 26 points (8G, 18A) in 33 games this season, which surpassed his point total from last season, despite playing in 19 fewer games.
• Kevin Labanc is also still sidelined after undergoing shoulder surgery in mid-December. Goaltender Adin Hill was placed on IR on Monday. Hill's last appearance was on Jan. 22.