Both the San Jose Sharks and the New York Islanders are facing the post-trade deadline blues. Both teams were sellers at the trade deadline, though the cuts to San Jose were much deeper. Sharks fans can go through the past ten posts or so to see how much was lost. It hurts a bit to talk about it here.
One of the big questions today in Sharks’ Territory is how are the players doing, specifically William Eklund, who was just as surprised as anyone by the trade of his best friend. You’ll recall that Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund trained together in the offseason.
The Sharks have been doing their best to support the kid with Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky giving him a little leeway.
Warsofsky on Eklund: "Talked to him yesterday. Obviously an emotional day for him, and it's going to take some time. He's a young kid himself. He's not just going to show up today with a big smile on his face ready to go. It's tough. So we've got to put our arms around him a…
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) March 8, 2025
And then there’s Alex Wennberg, who was just offered an “A,” giving Eklund support through shared experience.
New alternate captain Wennberg, leading, volunteered to take questions today on Eklund's behalf.
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) March 8, 2025
Wennberg had a similar experience in Columbus, a best friend going elsewhere, when Vegas selected William Karlsson in the Expansion Draft.
Like Eklund & Zetterlund, both Wennberg &…
As for the Islanders, the team sold longtime center Brock Nelson, a clear indication that the Islanders don’t think the team will be able to compete for the playoffs. It’s a disheartening feeling for any team to know you’re just playing out the rest of the season, waiting for the day you clean out your lockers.
Barring a huge turnaround and a lot of luck, the Islanders are out of the playoffs. Yes, the team is only four points behind the Ottawa Senators, which currently sit in the second wildcard position in the Eastern Conference, but there are also four teams between the Islanders and that wildcard spot, meaning everyone else would have to fail if the Islanders want to sneak into the postseason. It’s not likely to happen.
Anders Lee and Bo Horvat are the Islanders’ leading scorers with 43 points apiece. For reference, Brock Nelson also shared that lead before he was traded. In the net, Ilya Sorokin is the top goaltender. He’s 23-19-4 this season with a 2.78 goals against average and .905 save percentage.
The New York Islanders beat the Sharks 4-1 on Jan. 18. This is the last meeting this season between the two teams.
San Jose Sharks lines tonight
There will be a lot of changes in the lineup tonight. We know that Noah Gregor, the NHL-level player the Sharks received in return in the Zetterlund trade, will not play tonight. He’s still waiting on immigration clearance. Meantime, Vincent Desharnais and Patrick Giles will play their first games for the Sharks tonight.
San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reports that Alexandar Georgiev will start in the net for the Sharks.
Forwards
William Eklund – Alex Wennberg – Tyler Toffoli
Klim Kostin – Macklin Celebrini – Will Smith
Nikolai Kovalenko – Ty Dellandrea – Collin Graf
Carl Grundstrom – Patrick Giles – Barclay Goodrow
Defense
Mario Ferraro – Shakir Mukhamadullin
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Timothy Liljegren
Henry Thrun – Vincent Desharnais
Goaltenders
Alexandar Georgiev
Georgi Romanov
New York Islanders lines vs. San Jose Sharks
Without Nelson, there’s been some movement in the forward group. Here’s what NHL.com reports the Islanders’ lines will look like tonight. It sounds like Sorokin starts tonight.
Forwards
Kyle Palmieri — Bo Horvat — Anthony Duclair
Anders Lee — Jean-Gabriel Pageau — Simon Holmstrom
Maxim Tsyplakov — Casey Cizikas — Hudson Fasching
Pierre Engvall — Kyle MacLean — Marc Gatcomb
Defense
Alexander Romanov — Tony DeAngelo
Adam Pelech — Noah Dobson
Adam Boqvist — Ryan Pulock
Goaltenders
Ilya Sorokin
Jakub Skarek
How to watch New York Islanders at San Jose Sharks March 8, 2025
Sharks fans can watch the game on NBC Sports California or listen on the Sharks Audio Network.
New York Islanders fans can watch the game on MSGSN or MSG+. You can also listen on 88.7 FM or 103.9 FM.
People outside of the viewing areas can watch the game on ESPN+.
The puck drops at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET at SAP Center.
