Top-six winger activated as San Jose Sharks look to avoid historically bad start

Forward Alexander Barabanov has been activated off of injured reserve, clearing the way for him to play in the San Jose Sharks game against the New York Islanders on Tuesday at UBS Arena.

Sharks coach David Quinn said Tuesday morning that Barabanov’s availability would be better known closer to the 4:30 p.m. (PT) game time. The Sharks’ game against the Islanders is the first of four on their week-long road trip.

Barabanov, 28, was a full participant in Monday’s practice on Long Island and per reports, skated on a line with Tomas Hertl and Steven Lorentz. Barabanov was also on the Sharks’ second power-play unit with forwards Lorentz, Nick Bonino, Kevin Labanc, and defenseman Mario Ferraro.

Barabanov has not yet played this season after he suffered an upper-body injury early in training camp last month. He skated throughout last week, though, and took part in the Sharks’ full practices on Wednesday and Thursday.

Barabanov nearly played Saturday in the Sharks’ home game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Quinn said after his team’s 5-2 loss that night. The Sharks, though, wanted to be cautious about bringing Barabanov back before he was physically ready since he missed all but two days in camp after he was hurt on Sept. 24.

Barabanov’s likely return should help jolt a Sharks team that has scored just six goals in its first four games – all losses in regulation time — and is off to one of its worst starts as a franchise. The Sharks also started 0-4-0 in 1993 and 2019, but have never lost five straight games to begin a season.

The 1993-1994 team earned a tie in its fifth game and in 2019-2020, the Sharks won their fifth game, with Patrick Marleau scoring twice in a 5-4 victory over Chicago in his return to the organization after he started the season as a free agent.

Barabanov was fifth on the Sharks’ last season with 39 points in 70 games, as he mainly played on a line with Hertl and Timo Meier.

Meier, the Sharks’ leading scorer last season with 35 goals and 76 points, has 19 shots on goal in four games but has just one assist. Per reports, he’ll start Tuesday on a line with Logan Couture and Luke Kunin.

James Reimer, who is 0-2-0 with 2.56 goals against average and a  .924 save percentage so far this season, is starting for the Sharks on Tuesday.

In 15 career games against the Islanders, Reimer has an 8-2-2 record, 2.72 goals against average and a .914 save percentage.

The Sharks still have defenseman Markus Nutivaara on injured reserve, as he missed most of training camp with a lower-body injury. Nutivaara’s injury is related to the one that caused him to miss 81 of 82 games last season plus the playoffs, and it’s unclear when he’ll be able to return.