The San Jose Sharks welcome Matthew Schaefer and the New York Islanders into SAP Center for the second night of back-to-back games tonight. This is going to be a tough go-around for the Sharks, as the Islanders had a chance to rest up for the game. New York was in San Jose, watching the Sharks play against the St. Louis Blues last night.
New York is doing well this season and is, surprisingly, in a playoff spot as of this evening. The Islanders sit in third in the Metropolitan Division, with 75 points, ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Philadelphia Flyers. While there’s still a way to go to stay ahead of the pack down the stretch, this is a surprise playoff move for a team that, less than 12 months ago, was picking first overall in the NHL Entry Draft and sold off its top offensive defenseman.
The Islanders added at the deadline and didn’t have to wait long for their newest player to join the team. Blues’ captain Brayden Schenn was already in San Jose at the same time as the Islanders and so he didn’t even have to change hotel rooms. Schenn is expected to take the ice tonight on the second line for the Islanders. He’ll be wearing number 10.
Mathew Barzal is the top scorer for the Islanders with 56 points in 62 games. Bo Horvat is the top goal scorer with 26 goals in 49 games. Rookie Schaefer is the second leading scorer on the team with 45 points in 63 games and he already has 20 goals this season. In the goal, Ilya Sorokin is 22-14-2 with a .913 save percentage. David Rittich is doing an admirable job as backup. So far, he’s 13-9-3 with a .897 save percentage.
This is the second and last time this season these two teams will meet. The last time was on Oct. 21 on Long Island when the Islanders won 4-3.
San Jose Sharks lines tonight
The Sharks will see Ryan Reaves return to the lineup tonight after four games as a healthy scratch. San Jose Hockey Digest’s Max Miller reports that it’s also possible that defenseman Nolan Allen makes his debut in teal with a couple of players banged up.
Ryan Reaves will play for the #SJSharks for the first time in four games, and Philipp Kurashev will sit. Nolan Allan could make his team debut tonight as well. Read the updates on @SharksHKYDigest.⤵️https://t.co/EWAQtyak0W
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) March 8, 2026
Here’s what the lines are expected to look like. We’re presuming that everyone is healthy and Allen does not play.
Forwards
Will Smith — Macklin Celebrini — Collin Graf
William Eklund — Michael Misa — Tyler Toffoli
Adam Gaudette — Alexander Wennberg — Kiefer Sherwood
Barclay Goodrow — Zack Ostapchuk — Ryan Reaves
Defense
Dmitry Orlov — John Klingberg
Mario Ferraro — Shakir Mukhamadullin
Sam Dickinson — Vincent Desharnais
Goaltenders
Yaroslav Askarov
Alex Nedeljkovic
New York Islanders lines vs. San Jose Sharks
For the Islanders, NHL.com reports that it will be Ilya Sorokin in the net and the following lines on the ice tonight.
Forwards
Emil Heineman — Bo Horvat — Mathew Barzal
Calum Ritchie — Brayden Schenn — Ondrej Palat
Anders Lee — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Simon Holmstrom
Anthony Duclair — Casey Cizikas — Marc Gatcomb
Defense
Matthew Schaefer — Ryan Pulock
Adam Pelech — Tony DeAngelo
Carson Soucy — Scott Mayfield
Goaltenders
Ilya Sorokin
David Rittich
How to watch New York Islanders at San Jose Sharks, March 7, 2026
The puck drops at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET at SAP Center in San Jose.
Sharks fans can watch today’s game on NBCSCA or listen on the Sharks Audio Network.
Islanders fans can watch the game on MSGSN.
If you don’t have tickets to tonight’s game, be sure to come back here at game time to talk with other Sharks fans about what’s happening on the ice. The Sharks have a chance to gain some ground on the teams ahead of them in the playoff race, but it will take a big effort tonight.
