Preview: Islanders at Sharks

ISLANDERS (6-9-4) at SHARKS (11-8-1)
4:00 p.m. ET; MSG+, CSN-CA, NHL.TV

Islanders team scope

Backup goaltender Thomas Greiss is expected to make his seventh start against the San Jose Sharks when the New York Islanders try to bounce back after a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center on Wednesday. Greiss is 3-3-0 with a 2.55 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in six starts and seven total games. He made 39 saves in a 3-2 victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday at Honda Center in a shootout that lasted 14 rounds, an Islanders record. Greiss, a former backup for the Sharks, made 34 saves in a 4-2 Islanders victory against San Jose at SAP Center on Nov. 10, 2015 last season. In the Islanders loss Wednesday, forward Anders Lee tied the game 1-1 with a goal at 4:27 of the third period. But the Islanders allowed three goals in a span of 44 seconds later in the third. The Islanders are 1-5-1 on the road. "Disappointing, obviously," Islanders captain John Tavares told Newsday after the loss to Los Angeles. "This is one of the toughest back-to-backs in the league and we came in and worked hard to get back in it. ... Disappointing result." Islanders forward Cal Clutterbuck skated in pregame warmups Wednesday but did not play because of an upper-body injury. Shane Prince replaced him in the lineup. Clutterbuck practiced on Thursday.

Sharks team scope

The Sharks will try for their third straight win on a five-game homestand in a rare matinee at SAP Center. Goaltender Martin Jones has allowed one goal on 50 shots in those two wins, but there's a chance that backup Aaron Dell could start against the Islanders, allowing Jones to rest for a game Saturday against the Ducks. Dell is 1-1-0 in three games with a 1.90 GAA and a .932 save percentage. There's also a good chance that the Sharks will have forward Melker Karlsson back in the lineup after missing five games with a left ankle injury. The Sharks, who had Thursday off, have allowed two or fewer goals in 12 of their 20 games this season and have relied on strong defense to give them a chance to win. "Well that's how you've got to win a lot of times, 2-1, 3-2," Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said. "Sometimes the goals are there, sometimes they're not. Right now you're always looking for that extra one to get a little breathing room. We haven't found it on a nightly basis, so we take care of the hard parts. Guys have been D-ing up and blocking some shots when we've had to. It's contributed to a lot of wins for us."

Islanders projected lineup

Josh Bailey -- John Tavares -- Anthony Beauvillier
Nikolay Kulemin -- Brock Nelson -- Ryan Strome
Anders Lee -- Alan Quine -- Jason Chimera
Andrew Ladd -- Casey Cizikas -- Cal Clutterbuck
Nick Leddy -- Travis Hamonic
Thomas Hickey -- Johnny Boychuk
Calvin de Haan -- Adam Pelech
Thomas Greiss
Jaroslav Halak
Scratched:J-F Berube, Scott Mayfield, Shane Prince
Injured:Mikhail Grabovski (concussion), Ryan Pulock (lower body), Dennis Seidenberg (upper body)

Sharks projected lineup

Patrick Marleau -- Joe Thornton -- Joe Pavelski
Joonas Donskoi -- Logan Couture -- Joel Ward
Mikkel Boedker -- Chris Tierney -- Matt Nieto
Micheal Haley -- Tommy Wingels -- Kevin Labanc
Paul Martin -- Brent Burns
Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon -- David Schlemko
Martin Jones
Aaron Dell
Scratched:Dylan DeMelo
Injured:Tomas Hertl (lower body), Melker Karlsson (left ankle)

Status update

If Karlsson plays, either Haley or Labanc will likely be scratched. ... Schlemko was a late scratch against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday because of an illness. DeMelo will start again in his place if he can't play.

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Who's hot

Couture has a power-play goal in two straight games. ... Pavelski has a four-game point streak (1-3-4) and leads the Sharks with 18 points. Burns has four points in his past two games with a goal and three assists. ... Lee scored two goals against the Kings. ... Pelech has a two-game point streak with a goal and an assist.