Tonight is a tale of two teams with only one win under their belts. The seventh place Metropolitan Division New York Islanders will face off against the seventh place Pacific Division San Jose Sharks.
The Sharks will be coming off their first win of the season against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. They seemed to have found a line-up that clicks, particularly on the defense. It’s unlikely that the defense gets switched around at all, but there’s always a possibility that the forward group gets mixed up, since Joel Ward sat in the press box in their last game and we have yet to see Barclay Goodrow this season.
The Islanders are on a two-game losing streak, losing to the St. Louis Blues before starting the California road trip with a loss to the Anaheim Ducks. Their major off-season acquisition, Jordan Eberle, is currently day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. They’ll also be missing the physical presence of Cal Clutterbuck, who is day-to-day with a lower body injury. Former Shark, Thomas Greiss, will likely start in net.
The Islanders have an extra day of rest over the Sharks, while the Sharks have whatever advantage home ice gives them (because so far, it’s not looking like much). Both teams are struggling with their special teams, though the Sharks’ power play looked decent against the Sabres. Tonight will either mark the first winning streak for the Sharks this season or will break a losing streak for the Islanders. Should be fun!
Tonight will also be Hispanic Heritage night at the Tank. While the Sharks will be giving away Los Tiburones jerseys to all fans in attendance, Fear the Fin will be running Fanposts all day from Latinx writers. Keep checking back here and on Twitter all day for features and game day coverage.
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