New York Islanders vs. San Jose Sharks: Here be minnows [Game 3 thread]

Are the Sharks really this bad? How are they this bad?

We’ll find out tonight, when the winless squad from San Jose visits the 1-1 squad on Long Island.

The early days of the season are great fun for fans of Overreaction Theatre (See: Ontario, and for the opposite end: Texas), but the Sharks were expected to be (shark)tank-tastic, so one can only oversell their 0-4 start so much. But if the 50/50 Islanders are their first victims? The sky will fall.

It’s odd to see the Sharks doing so poorly even after they rid themselves of their worst facial hair offenders — a step known ‘round these parts as a critical ingredient to team success.

Catch up on all the Sharks’ ills in this Fear the Fin preview.

Gametime is 7:30.

Here is Lane Lambert’s pre-game availability, which tells you little but does acknowledge Mathew Barzal not taking the optional morning skate was just “taking the option.” (There had been some Twitter fears when he was not on the ice.)