The Islanders host the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at UBS Arena (7PM, MSGSN)
NEW YORK ISLANDERS (2-3-0) VS SAN JOSE SHARKS (0-3-2)
UBS ARENA | 7 PM | BUY TICKETS
WATCH/STREAM: MSGSN | GOTHAM SPORTS APP
LISTEN: 88.7FM | 103.9FM | ISLANDERS + UBS ARENA APP
The New York Islanders are back in action to take on the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday at UBS Arena, kicking off a two-game homestand.
The Islanders earned their first road win of the season on Saturday, defeating the Ottawa Senators 5-4. Anders Lee led the way with a three-point performance (2G, 1A) including the game-winner with 1:03 remaining in the final frame. Emil Heineman, Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri also put up goals in the win, while Ilya Sorokin turned aside 29 of 33 shots faced.
The Sharks are coming off a 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, where Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 24 of 26 shots against his former team. Tuesday’s game at UBS Arena is the first stop of a four-game road trip for San Jose.
PROJECTED LINEUP
Jonathan Drouin – Bo Horvat – Emil Heineman
Anthony Duclair – Mathew Barzal – Kyle Palmieri
Anders Lee – Jean-Gabriel Pageau – Max Shabanov
Max Tsyplakov – Casey Cizikas – Simon Holmstrom
Adam Pelech – Ryan Pulock
Alexander Romanov – Tony DeAngelo
Matthew Schaefer – Scott Mayfield
Ilya Sorokin
ROMANOV A GAME-TIME DECISION
Alexander Romanov was back on the ice for Monday’s practice, skating on a pair with Tony DeAngelo, but he’s a game-time decision, per Head Coach Patrick Roy. Romanov missed Saturday’s game and Friday’s practice with an upper-body injury.
TSYPLAKOV TO DRAW BACK IN
Max Tsyplakov is expected to draw back into the lineup with Casey Cizikas and Simon Holmstrom after sitting for two games.
It’s a new combination and Roy said he’s tinkering with that line – Kyle MacLean drew in for Tsyplakov for the past two games – but the goal is to get different guys in the mix, which speaks to the team’s depth at forward.
“We’ve got a lot of good players, we’re going to rotate some guys,” Roy said. “Some guys are going to be in an out of the lineup. MacLean has been playing some good hockey but that’s the situation he’s in.”
As for Tsyplakov, Roy is looking for defensive responsibility and good decisions with the puck when he draws back in on Tuesday.
Cinematic Recap: NYI 4, EDM 2
SOROKIN TO START VS SHARKS
Sorokin will be between the pipes on Tuesday, earning his second consecutive start.
The netminder is 1-3-0 this season, along with a 4.13 GAA and a .860 SV%. Against San Jose, Sorokin is 3-0-3 lifetime along with a .923 SV% and a 2.43 GAA.
RATTLING OFF TWO REGULATION WINS
The Islanders have won two consecutive games heading into Tuesday’s test against the Sharks. Though the win streak is a confidence-booster for the Isles, there are areas to tighten up defensively and they got a good practice in on Monday.
“We have some stuff to clean up from that Ottawa game, but thought we did a good job today looking at that and getting ourselves ready,” Lee said.
STRONG THIRD PERIODS
The Islanders haven’t allowed a goal in the third period for two straight games, locking it down in both wins. Resilience was on display Saturday, where the Isles dug their way out of 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3 deficits for the win.
“For the most part, we’ve been smart [in third periods],” Lee said. “We knew what we had to do in Ottawa and where that game was going. We corrected some things in the last 20 to put ourselves in a position to come back.”
SCHAEFER’S STREAK
Matthew Schaefer has already made history as the youngest defenseman to open his career with a five-game point streak, but if he hits the scoresheet again on Tuesday, he’ll join exclusive company.
If Schaefer extends his streak to six games on Tuesday, he will tie the longest point streak to begin an NHL career by a defenseman, which was set by Marek Zidlicky in 2003-04.
ALL ABOUT THE HITS
Emil Heineman leads the Islanders with 21 hits this season. Physicality is hard-wired into his game, as the 6’2,” 204 lbs. winger tied for the team lead in hits per game (2.79) in Montreal last season.
“Heineman is all-around, a heck of a player,” Drouin said. “He’s very good on the forecheck, he’s physical and skates well.”
Enjoy the Heineken Beer Garden, carnival games and more at The Park at UBS Arena.
Host your special event at The Park today!
CIZIKAS CLIMBING THE FRANCHISE LEADERBOARD
Casey Cizikas surpassed Brock Nelson in career games played for the franchise, skating in his 902nd game on Saturday. The only three Islanders with more – Bryan Trottier, Denis Potvin and Josh Bailey – are all in the 1,000 games club.
SEASON SERIES
The Islanders swept the season series last year (2-0-0) and have a six-game point streak (5-0-1) against the Sharks in their last six matchups.
ACROSS THE ICE
The Sharks (0-3-2) are looking for their first win of the season. They have missed the playoffs for six straight years.
ATOP THE SHARKS LEADERBOARD
2024 first-overall pick Macklin Celebrini leads the Sharks with five points (1G, 4A) through the first five games of his second NHL season. The 19-year-old led San Jose in scoring last season with 63 points (25G, 38A) as a rookie.
Veteran winger Jeff Skinner leads the Sharks with three goals through his first five games with the team after he signed as a free agent over the offseason.
MISA MADE HIS DEBUT
2025 second-overall pick Michael Misa made his NHL debut for the Sharks on Oct. 14, skating 15:06 TOI. He was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the season.
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