NEW YORK ISLANDERS (17-20-7) VS SAN JOSE SHARKS (14-27-6)
7:30 PM | UBS ARENA | BUY TICKETS
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The New York Islanders are looking to jump back into the win column as they host the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night, in the third game of a season-long, seven-game homestand.
The Islanders dropped their second straight contest in a 5-3 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night at UBS Arena. Bo Horvat and Anders Lee supported the Isles with two power-play goals and Mathew Barzal scored his second goal in the last three games, but Philly overpowered the Islanders with goals from Sean Couturier (1G,1A), Garnet Hathaway, Morgan Frost, Cam York (GWG) and Noah Cates (ENG).
“Mistakes are going to happen, but collectively as a group, we need to do a better job of not multiplying those mistakes,” Noah Dobson said. “Once one mistake happens, we need to do a better job of cleaning it up together, that's important. I think we can learn from that game.”
The Sharks are coming off a 4-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night in Ohio, where Tyler Toffoli scored the lone goal for San Jose. Alexandar Georgiev made 30 saves on 33 shots in the loss.
SEASON SERIES
Saturday marks the first meeting between the two teams and the season series will conclude on March 8 in San Jose. The Islanders went 1-0-1 against the Sharks last season.MORNING SKATE UPDATES
Forward Simon Holmstrom and defenseman Alexander Romanov will be game-time decisions for Saturday night's showdown against San Jose, per Head Coach Patrick Roy.Roy said both players will take warmups before a final decision is made. Holmstrom has missed seven games with an upper-body injury, while Romanov has been sidelined for three games with an upper-body injury.
Holmstrom wore a non-contact jersey in Thursday's morning skate and was a full participant during Friday's practice. Romanov skated on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and participated in Saturday's optional skate at Northwell Health Ice Center.
The Swedish winger has 22 points (9G, 13A) through 37 games this season, while the Russian defenseman has nine assists through 30 games this season, along with 73 hits and 65 blocked shots.
Max Tsyplakov will not play on Saturday, as he serves the first of his three-game suspension.
BRENT SUTTER NIGHT
In a special evening for players, alumni and fans, Brent Sutter will be inducted into the Islanders Hall of Fame and honored with a pregame ceremony on Saturday.All fans in attendance will receive a Brent Sutter Hall of Fame Collectors Coin, courtesy of Solo Stove.
The ceremony starts at 7:30. Fans who are not at the game can watch via Isles+ in the Islanders + UBS Arena app, MSGSN or the Gotham Sports app.
ISLES NOTES
- Simon Holmstrom participated in practice on Friday, shedding the orange non-contact jersey after joining the team for the first time on Thursday."We'll see how he feels tomorrow, but there's a chance he'll play," Roy said after Friday's practice. "He's an important player on our team, no doubt about it. He plays PK, power play and he's been playing well since the start of the season. It's nice to think about [the possibility] of him being back tomorrow."
The 23-year-old has 22 points (9G, 13A) in 37 games this season.
- Marcus Hogberg as the expected starter for Saturday's contest against the Sharks. Hogberg, 30, is 1-2-0 this season. The Swedish goaltender has a .953 SV% and a 1.41 GAA through three starts and two relief appearances.
"The plan is to go with [Hogberg] tomorrow, he deserves it," Roy said on Friday. "He's been playing really well for us."
- The Islanders produced two power-play goals and snapped a 14-game drought where they went 0-for-25, though their power play allowed a shorthanded goal.
- The Islanders went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill to improve to a perfect 9-for-9 in their last five games, though the Flyers scored three seconds after a Dennis Cholowski penalty expired and he had yet to rejoin the play.
- Lee netted his 20th goal of the season on Thursday, becoming one of 23 players in the NHL to reach that mark at this point of the season. Lee has hit the 20-goal mark nine times in his career and for the fourth consecutive season. Lee has nine points (7G, 2A) in his last nine games.
- Max Tysplakov received a three-game suspension for a hit on Flyers forward Ryan Poehling. The Russian winger was not assessed a penalty after review during the game, but NHL Department of Player Safety reviewed the hit on Friday and determined that it was an illegal check to the head.
- Marc Gatcomb skated with the Islanders for practice on Friday, back with the club after the 25-year-old made his NHL debut on Tuesday night. In light of Tsyplakov’s three-game suspension, Gatcomb could draw into the lineup if Holmstrom is unable to go.
SHARKS NOTES
- The Sharks are in eighth place in the Pacific Division with 34 points and a record of 14-27-6. San Jose is 1-4-0 in their last five games.- Mikael Granlund leads the Sharks in assists (25) and points (37) in his second season with San Jose.
- Tyler Toffoli leads the team with 17 goals after he signed with San Jose as a free agent over the offseason. The 32-year-old has four points (2G, 2A) in his last two games.
- William Eklund is heating up as of late, with nine points (5G, 4A) in his last nine games. He scored the overtime winner and two assists against the Isles last season on Dec. 5, 2023 when the Sharks mounted a third-period comeback to win 5-4 in OT.
- 2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini is making an impact in his first year in the NHL. The 18-year-old has been producing nearly a point-per-game, with 32 points (13G, 19A) in 35 games, which is third on the Sharks in scoring and is tied for second among rookies in the NHL.
- Will Smith, the fourth-overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, has 15 points (6G, 9A) in 39 games in his first NHL season.
- Barclay Goodrow, who the Sharks claimed off waivers from the New York Rangers over the offseason, has four points (2G, 2A) in 42 games in his first season with San Jose.
