Sharks move across New York to face Isles
NEW YORK -- The New York Islanders got a day to enjoy their first win of the season. The San Jose Sharks won't have much time to stew over their first loss.
The Islanders continue a Western Conference-heavy homestand Tuesday night when they host the Sharks -- the defending Western Conference champions -- at Barclays Center.
The Islanders (1-2-0) opened their home schedule Sunday with a 3-2 overtime win over the Anaheim Ducks. Josh Bailey scored 54 seconds into the extra session for New York, which blew a 2-0 lead in the final 10 minutes of the third period.
"It's always good to get the first one," Bailey said afterward. "At home tonight, we were feeling like this is a perfect opportunity. Glad we got it done."
It was the second consecutive game in which the Islanders allowed just two goals. New York fell to the Washington Capitals 2-1 Saturday.
"We're playing the right way, we're doing the right things," Islanders coach Jack Capuano said Sunday night. "When you do the right things, you want to get rewarded."
The Sharks (2-1-0) will be looking to bounce back from a road loss Monday, but they won't have to travel far. They fell to the New York Rangers 7-4 at Madison Square Garden.
San Jose allowed just three goals in its first two victories but allowed four third-period goals Monday, including two empty-netters.
The seven goals were the most allowed by the Sharks since a 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 8, 2015.
"We got what we deserved tonight," Sharks coach Peter DeBoer said. "You have to win all kinds of different ways. It would have been nice to pick up some points and stick around, but I think the team that competed the hardest won, and that's the way it should be."
Sharks right winger Joe Pavelski acknowledged that San Jose, which will be playing the third game of a five-game Eastern Conference road swing on Tuesday, might be feeling the effects of the travel.
"When you travel -- not just when you travel (in) the NHL, there's momentum swings," Pavelski said. "We thought we could get the momentum, get our legs going, find our game. We were just a step slow tonight."
Martin Jones drew the first three starts in net for the Sharks, but DeBoer said Monday afternoon that rookie Aaron Dell likely would start Tuesday. It would be the NHL debut for Dell, who played 157 minor league games over the previous four seasons.
Dell, 27, went 17-16-6 with a 2.42 goals-against average last season for the Sharks' top minor league team, the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL.
No. 1 goalie Jaroslav Halak likely will be the starter for the Islanders, whose first four home games are against Western Conference foes. Halak, who recorded 24 saves in the win over the Ducks on Sunday, is 6-5-0 in 13 games against the Sharks. He earned the win the last time he faced San Jose on Oct. 17, 2015, when he made 22 saves in New York's 6-3 victory at Barclays Center.