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San Jose Sharks vs. New York Islanders Preview and Predictions 10-08-2018 in NHL
NHL Previews 7th October 2018 by Gracenote
Sharks vs. Islanders Preview and Predictions
by Gracenote on 10/07/2018
The San Jose Sharks quickly put a season-opening loss behind them with a victory over a rival and look to start a five-game road trip with back-to-back triumphs when they visit the New York Islanders on Monday afternoon. The Sharks were throttled by Anaheim 5-2 in the opener, but they limited Los Angeles to 21 shots before newcomer Erik Karlsson helped set up Kevin Labanc's winning goal in overtime on Friday.
"The guys played like we needed to win this game, and we found a way to do it," San Jose coach Pete DeBoer told reporters after the victory. "We lose our home opener and found a way to come into a tough building, and I thought we played well." The Sharks hope to energize their power play, which is 0-for-6 after two games, when they take on an Islanders squad that was worst in the league on the penalty kill in 2017-18 but has thwarted all four of its short-handed situations in the early going. New York got 45 saves from Thomas Greiss en route to defeating Carolina in its season opener, but captain Anders Lee told reporters the team played better on Saturday despite falling 4-3 against Nashville. "Our structure is good, our defense is good," Lee said after the setback. "We play like that most nights, we're going to be fine."
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet 360, NBCS California (San Jose), MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (1-1-0): Evander Kane has scored a pair of goals on 10 shots over his first two contests while playing on a line with Joonas Donskoi and rookie center Antti Suomela, who has shined in the early going. "For a guy where this is his first time over in North America, it's pretty impressive," Kane told reporters of Suomela. "He has a lot of poise, a lot of patience with the puck. The moment doesn't seem to faze him. He's only going to get more comfortable as the season goes along." Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner who was acquired from Ottawa during the preseason, notched his first assist with San Jose on Friday.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (1-1-0): Calder Trophy winner Mathew Barzal has picked up where he left off with three points in the first two games to match Josh Bailey for the team lead. Veteran Valtteri Filppula, who was signed to a one-year deal in the offseason primarily to help out defensively, has scored in each of the first two contests while defenseman Ryan Pulock has registered a team-high seven shots. Greiss, who faced half as many shots Saturday (23) as he did in the 2-1 overtime win over Carolina but remained at 99 career victories, is expected to be rested Monday while Robin Lehner makes his first start after being signed as a free agent in July.
OVERTIME
1. The Islanders have swept the two of the last three season series, outscoring the Sharks 8-4 in two victories last campaign.
2. San Jose's Joe Thornton (knee) was placed on injured reserve Sunday while fellow C Dylan Gambrell was recalled from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League.
3. New York C Brock Nelson has notched one assist in the first two games and needs one goal to reach 100 for his career.
PREDICTION: Sharks 5, Islanders 3
NHL Previews 7th October 2018 by Gracenote
Sharks vs. Islanders Preview and Predictions
by Gracenote on 10/07/2018
The San Jose Sharks quickly put a season-opening loss behind them with a victory over a rival and look to start a five-game road trip with back-to-back triumphs when they visit the New York Islanders on Monday afternoon. The Sharks were throttled by Anaheim 5-2 in the opener, but they limited Los Angeles to 21 shots before newcomer Erik Karlsson helped set up Kevin Labanc's winning goal in overtime on Friday.
"The guys played like we needed to win this game, and we found a way to do it," San Jose coach Pete DeBoer told reporters after the victory. "We lose our home opener and found a way to come into a tough building, and I thought we played well." The Sharks hope to energize their power play, which is 0-for-6 after two games, when they take on an Islanders squad that was worst in the league on the penalty kill in 2017-18 but has thwarted all four of its short-handed situations in the early going. New York got 45 saves from Thomas Greiss en route to defeating Carolina in its season opener, but captain Anders Lee told reporters the team played better on Saturday despite falling 4-3 against Nashville. "Our structure is good, our defense is good," Lee said after the setback. "We play like that most nights, we're going to be fine."
TV: 1 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One, Sportsnet 360, NBCS California (San Jose), MSG Plus (New York)
ABOUT THE SHARKS (1-1-0): Evander Kane has scored a pair of goals on 10 shots over his first two contests while playing on a line with Joonas Donskoi and rookie center Antti Suomela, who has shined in the early going. "For a guy where this is his first time over in North America, it's pretty impressive," Kane told reporters of Suomela. "He has a lot of poise, a lot of patience with the puck. The moment doesn't seem to faze him. He's only going to get more comfortable as the season goes along." Karlsson, a two-time Norris Trophy winner who was acquired from Ottawa during the preseason, notched his first assist with San Jose on Friday.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS (1-1-0): Calder Trophy winner Mathew Barzal has picked up where he left off with three points in the first two games to match Josh Bailey for the team lead. Veteran Valtteri Filppula, who was signed to a one-year deal in the offseason primarily to help out defensively, has scored in each of the first two contests while defenseman Ryan Pulock has registered a team-high seven shots. Greiss, who faced half as many shots Saturday (23) as he did in the 2-1 overtime win over Carolina but remained at 99 career victories, is expected to be rested Monday while Robin Lehner makes his first start after being signed as a free agent in July.
OVERTIME
1. The Islanders have swept the two of the last three season series, outscoring the Sharks 8-4 in two victories last campaign.
2. San Jose's Joe Thornton (knee) was placed on injured reserve Sunday while fellow C Dylan Gambrell was recalled from the San Jose Barracuda of the American Hockey League.
3. New York C Brock Nelson has notched one assist in the first two games and needs one goal to reach 100 for his career.
PREDICTION: Sharks 5, Islanders 3
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