Karlsson returns to face Sharks for 1st time with Penguins

CRANBERRY, Pa. -- Erik Karlsson had a good run with the San Jose Sharks.

On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman is looking to start another, but this time as a visitor.

“I’ve got a lot of good memories there,” Karlsson said. “I’m hoping to create some more good memories in that rink.”

Karlsson, who had 243 points (52 goals, 191 assists) in 293 regular-season games in five seasons with the Sharks, including a 101-point season in 2022-23 that earned him the Norris Trophy, will return to SAP Center to face his former team for the first time since leaving San Jose (10 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, NBCSCA). 

He was the sixth defenseman in League history to reach 100 points in a season, and the first since Brian Leetch had 102 for the New York Rangers in 1991-92.

Karlsson has six points (two goals, four assists) in nine games after being acquired by Pittsburgh from San Jose in a three-team trade also involving the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 6.

The return won’t be completely foreign. On Dec. 1, 2018, Karlsson played his first game at the Ottawa Senators, where he had played his first nine NHL seasons before being traded to San Jose on Sept. 13, 2018.

In that homecoming, he led all players with nine shots on goal in a 6-2 loss for the Sharks.

“I think it’s going to be different than that in some regards,” Karlsson said. “It’s going to be nice to be back in San Jose. It’s going to be nice to see a lot of familiar faces and meet a lot of people that I haven’t seen in a while.

“It’s also nice that it’s early in the season, so we can kind of get it over a little bit and move forward.”

Neither Karlsson nor the Penguins are in position to dwell on nostalgia. After going 0-3-1 on a homestand that ended Monday, and losing five of their past six in regulation, they are 3-6-0, their worst start through nine games since beginning 0-4-5 in 2005-06. The Sharks, meanwhile, will be looking for their first win, going 0-9-1 in their first 10 games.

“We have to start somewhere,” Karlsson said. “Getting a win, no matter how we get it, will be nice.”

Karlsson had four points (one goal, three assists) in his first four games this season but went without one in the next four.

On Monday, the 33-year-old seemed to be unlocked with one goal and one assist, each on the power play, against the Anaheim Ducks. He then had a cross-ice pass intercepted by Adam Henrique at the end of a 5-on-3.

Henrique found Mason McTavish coming out of the penalty box for a short-handed breakaway, leading to the deciding goal with 13 seconds remaining in the third period of a 4-3 loss.

With Karlsson, patience is key, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said.

“I think he is the player that we thought we were getting,” Sullivan said. “There’s another level to his game. We’re going through a little bit of a feeling-out process. … We’re hoping we’ll get a little more consistency with that throughout the course of a 60-minute hockey game.

“But he’s a guy that we’re excited about having. We have to figure out how to maximize his ability level.”

In Pittsburgh, Karlsson is in a familiar role, leading the Penguins with an average ice time of 25:24, ahead of fellow defenseman Kris Letang (24:27).

Karlsson is at the point on the top power play, a spot Letang held throughout much of his first 17 seasons with the Penguins.

Sidney Crosby, also on the top unit, said Karlsson’s impact is clear.

“Power play, he’s obviously got time and space to do what he’s best at, and that’s just create space for guys around him, create plays,” Crosby said. “He can shoot the puck. He showed that last game, had a big shot.

“So he skates the puck out of trouble. He can carry it end to end. All those things. He’s got a lot of strengths. Probably on the power play is when it’s on display the most.”

Ryan Graves is paired with Letang but has studied Karlsson.

“There’s ways that he manipulates forwards, forecheckers and stuff like that he makes look pretty effortless,” Graves said. “He doesn’t have, like, a big booming shot or anything like that. The way he creates lanes in the offensive zone, he is a fast skater, but it’s not like he’s flying around like Cale Makar out there.

“He’s smart with the way he does it. I’m not going to do a lot of it, but there are things you can learn from it.”

Before traveling to San Jose on Thursday, Karlsson reflected.

Specifically, Game 7 of the 2019 Western Conference First Round against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Sharks scored four power-play goals in 4:01 during the third period before Karlsson had the primary assist on Barclay Goodrow’s goal at 18:19 of overtime in a 5-4 win.

“One of the craziest games that I’ve been a part of,” he said. “That’s probably the ultimate No. 1 instance that sticks out to me."

Come Saturday, Karlsson will only look ahead.

“Even though our record is what it is, I still feel like we’re a good hockey team,” Karlsson said. “I feel like we believe that we’re a good hockey team in here. We’re going to take it game by game, try to make it one in a row and keep it one in row, move it forward like that.”