Islanders skid reaches nine with OT loss to Sharks

Erik Karlsson scored 39 seconds into overtime for the San Jose Sharks, who extended the New York Islanders' skid to nine games in a 2-1 win at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Thursday.

The Islanders had not played since Nov. 26 after having two games postponed as the result of multiple players in NHL COVID-19 protocol. It was the first time they got a point since Nov. 6 following eight straight regulation losses.
"I think tonight was a good indication we're headed in the right direction," New York captain Anders Lee said. "I think at times when we got [penalized], and I think it killed a little bit of our momentum, but our penalty killers got it right back and had a really strong game. We've just got to find a way to get that extra point at the end there."

Karlsson scored his fifth of the season on a shot from the slot after a pass from Timo Meier, who has scored six points during a three-game point streak (four goals, two assists).
"I just stayed in there and I knew there was a chance that [Meier] would find me," Karlsson said. "He's got some good vision going for himself right now and he made a perfect pass and I just had to tap it in."
Timo Meier had two assists and Adin Hill made 24 saves for the Sharks (13-9-1), who are 3-0-0 and have allowed three goals on a five-game road trip.
"I don't know how many shots that came from the blue line actually got to our net, so it shows what a good job our guys have done with blocking shots and it's commitment," Hill said. "Everyone in that locker room is committed to playing a defensive game and we like to win these tight games. That's our identity."
Mathew Barzal scored, and Ilya Sorokin made 33 saves for the Islanders (5-10-3), who have been outscored 34-8 during the skid.
Barzal gave New York its first lead in 357:48 when he scored on a wrist shot from the right face-off circle at 1:04 of the first period to make it 1-0.
"Anytime you score on your first shift, it lifts you, and you feel good and it's obviously nice just to get one here at UBS in front of our fans," Barzal said. "It feels good and then we move on, but unfortunately we lost."

Nick Bonino tied it 1-1 on a tip-in from the slot off a pass from Jonathan Dahlen at 9:10 of the first, one second after a Sharks power play expired.
"We have to grind teams down, grind wins out," San Jose coach Bob Boughner said. "We have to do it as a team, and we have to do it a certain way. Managing the puck, managing leads and being in tight games ... we're a lot more comfortable in those games than we have been in the past couple years."
Lee, who missed the previous four games in COVID-19 protocol, hit the crossbar on a backhand from the left circle with 48 seconds remaining in the first.
"I felt good tonight," Lee said. "I had my legs, I think our line (Lee, Barzal, Josh Bailey) started off really well and we felt good tonight. One of those nights when the chances were coming and we felt that all we needed was one more opportunity, one more puck and we were going to pop one. We just didn't get that, but it's a game us three can build off of and the team as a whole can too."
Sorokin made 15 saves in the second period.
"I think that everybody's helping each other out and we're battling for each other and we're doing what we feel we have to do to give ourselves a chance to win at the end of the game and today was a perfect example of that," Karlsson said. "I think we just stuck with it, weren't getting frustrated and we just kept putting the puck in and creating and taking what we got.
"We weren't concerned how long it was going to take. We knew that by the end of the third we were going to have a chance to win the game and get it done in overtime."
NOTES: Sharks forward Jonah Gadjovich left the game after he blocked a shot with the inside of his left foot from Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson at 3:11 of the first. No update was provided after the game. ... Bailey, who missed six games in COVID-19 protocol, did not have a shot on goal in 19:11. Defensemen Adam Pelech and Andy Greene also returned for the Islanders after missing four games; Pelech had three shots, three hits and led them in ice time (24:14). Greene had an assist and blocked two shots in 19:55. … New York went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and is 11-for-12 in its past four games.