After alternating wins and losses in the first three games, the Sharks finish off their four game homestand against the slumping New York Islanders, who have lost five of their last six games.

The Sharks’ depth has struggled of late, but should get a boost tonight as Melker Karlsson makes his much-anticipated return to the lineup. Karlsson skated with the third line yesterday, while Chris Tierney centered a fourth line between Micheal Haley and Mike Brown.

Tale Of The Tape

	@
7-5-3	Record	7-7-0
5th in Metropolitan	Rank	3rd in Pacific
50.4%	Score-Adj. Fenwick	52.0%
100.8	PDO	99.1
23.1	PP%	11.9
87.8	PK%	76.1

7:30 PM PDT | SAP Center | San Jose, CA
TV: CSN-CA | Radio: SJSharks.com, 98.5 KFOX
Know Your Enemy: Lighthouse Hockey

Last Meeting

The Sharks led on three separate occasions, but allowed four unanswered goals in a 6-3 loss in their first ever game at the Barclays Center.

Storylines

• Karlsson’s return to the lineup really could not have come at a better time for the Sharks. The bottom six has really struggled since Logan Couture was placed on injured reserve, and Karlsson’s return brings some much needed depth back into the lineup. If lines from yesterday’s practice hold, however, the fourth line remains an unmitigated disaster.
• The Islanders are in a bit of a rut, but present a tough challenge for both of the Sharks’ special teams units. The Isles rank fourth in the league in power play and penalty kill percentage. San Jose, meanwhile, has failed to score a power play goal in the month of November, and have allowed a power play goal in four of their last five games.