NY Islanders Defeat NHL-Worst Sharks 4-2, Close in on Wild-Card Spot

The New York Islanders started slow after three days off in their first game after the NHL trade deadline, but Ilya Sorokin was spectacular in the first period and made 38 saves overall as the Islanders defeated the San Jose Sharks, the worst team in the league, 4-2 at SAP Center on Saturday night to pull within three points of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Second-line center Jean-Gabriel Pageau recorded a goal and two assists and Anthony Duclair, Anders Lee, and Adam Boqvist also scored for the Islanders (29-26-7), who have now won four of their last five games. "They [San Jose] played really well, [I] have to give it to them," head coach Patrick Roy said. "At the same time, we didn’t have the same jump. It was nice to have those key saves. [Sorokin] played a big role in the first period, that’s for sure."

Nikolai Kovalenko and Will Smith scored for the Sharks (17-39-9), who have gone 2-3-0 over their past five games. Rookie Macklin Celebrini had two assists, extending his point streak to three games (two goals, two assists), while Alexandar Georgiev finished with 24 saves

“They came out really hard,” Pageau said. “Sorokin kept us in the game, we got our bounce right away, and they had some grade-A chances. We knew after the first period we had to be more connected on our breakouts. Sorokin gave us the opportunity to do that.”

The goals by Duclair and Boqvist both came on the power-play, a rare occurrence for a unit that has struggled all season. Defenseman Scott Mayfield was a healthy scratch. The team activated defenseman Mike Reilly and Matt Martin off IR before the game with rosters expanding after the deadline. Goaltender Marcus Hogberg joined the team and is nearing a return.