As the NHL season progresses, the matchup between the San Jose Sharks and the Tampa Bay Lightning is highly anticipated. The game is set for 7 p.m. ET at The Spot, with fans eager to see the projected lineups for both teams.
Projected Lineups: Sharks vs. Lightning
San Jose Sharks Lineup
The Sharks come into the game with a record of 25 wins, 20 losses, and 3 overtime losses. Coach Ryan Warsofsky has prepared the following lineup:
- Collin Graf — Macklin Celebrini — Will Smith
- William Eklund — Alexander Wennberg — Tyler Toffoli
- Pavol Regenda — Michael Misa — Igor Chernyshov
- Barclay Goodrow — Zack Ostapchuk — Ryan Reaves
- Dmitry Orlov — John Klingberg
- Mario Ferraro — Timothy Liljegren
- Sam Dickinson — Vincent Iorio
The Sharks’ goaltenders are Yaroslav Askarov and Alex Nedeljkovic. Notably, several players are unavailable due to injury, including Kiefer Sherwood, Ty Dellandrea, Philipp Kurashev, and Shakir Mukhamadullin. Jeff Skinner and Adam Gaudette are also scratched from the lineup.
Tampa Bay Lightning Lineup
The Lightning boast a record of 30 wins, 13 losses, and 4 overtime losses. Here’s how they are expected to take the ice:
- Jake Guentzel — Nick Paul — Nikita Kucherov
- Brandon Hagel — Anthony Cirelli — Gage Goncalves
- Zemgus Girgensons — Yanni Gourde — Pontus Holmberg
- Oliver Bjorkstrand — Jack Finley — Dominic James
- J.J. Moser — Darren Raddysh
- Charle-Edouard D’Astous — Erik Cernak
- Declan Carlile — Max Crozier
Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jonas Johansson will be in goal for Tampa. The Lightning are dealing with several injuries, as Brayden Point, Ryan McDonagh, and Victor Hedman remain sidelined. Emil Lilleberg and Scott Sabourin are also recovering.
Injury Updates and Status Report
Recently, the Sharks acquired Kiefer Sherwood from the Vancouver Canucks. He joined the team for two second-round picks in the 2026 and 2027 NHL Draft, along with defenseman Cole Clayton. Sherwood is expected to play a significant role among the top forwards once he recovers.
After a strong performance with 35 saves against the Florida Panthers, Askarov is likely to be the starting goalie for the Sharks. On the Lightning side, coach Jon Cooper indicated that defenseman Hedman, McDonagh, and Lilleberg are starting light skating and may return soon. Sabourin is projected to be back next week.
This exciting matchup will showcase both teams’ talents and strategies. Fans look forward to an engaging game filled with action and skill.
