The San Jose Sharks need to have short memories once again because it’s back to business tonight against the defending Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers. It will be another tough test for the Sharks. The Panthers were in San Jose last night, resting and watching the Sharks go toe-to-toe with the Winnipeg Jets, which means there will be no surprises.
Worse yet, the Sharks aren’t going to get much in the way of reinforcements. Postgame yesterday, I saw William Eklund walking around, and he looked like he was close to returning, but he was placed on injured reserve retroactively, which means he can’t play today. Worse yet, I saw Michael Misa walking in a boot, which means it’s longer than just a day or two. Sam Dickinson looked good to go, so he could be in the lineup tonight, but other than that, it’s likely similar lines to last night.
The defending champs are also dealing with injuries, but don’t let that fool you. The team has backfilled well, considering the losses it’s endured. The Panthers are 7-6-1 this season with some ups and downs. The Panthers beat Los Angeles 5-2 on Thursday but lost to Anaheim 7-3 on Tuesday. The Panthers have been going back and forth with wins and losses since mid-October.
The big loss due to injury is Aleksander Barkov, who is out with a knee injury and is questionable to even return in time for the playoffs. The loss of the two-way forward is a huge deal for the Panthers. Heart-and-soul leader Matthew Tkachuk is also out for a considerable amount of time. Tkachuk underwent surgery for a groin injury and is even questionable for the Olympics. Depth scoring is also impacted. Dmitry Kulikov is out for five months after having shoulder surgery, Tomas Nosek has a knee injury and Jonah Gadjovich has an upper-body injury.
In the wake of all this, look for a familiar face like Noah Gregor on the other side. Meantime, a player like Brad Marchand has had to step up. Marchand has 15 points and leads the team in scoring. He also has nine goals. Sergei Bobrovsky has only been okay this season, off from his career stats. He has a 7-4-0 record with a 2.74 goals against average and a .887 save percentage. Backup Daniil Tarasov has been slightly better though he’s still searching for his first win of the season. He has an 0-2-1 record with a 2.64 goals against average with an .886 save percentage.
San Jose Sharks lines tonight
There is no morning skate today, but as we know, most of the forwards are injured, so there likely aren’t going to be any changes up front. On the back end, look for Sam Dickinson to slot in. Timothy Liljegren was injured last night when he went awkwardly into the boards, so he might be an option to sit. If Nick Leddy is ready to play, Vincent Desharnais might also sit.
With Alex Nedeljkovic in the net last night, Yaroslav Askarov will likely be in the net tonight.
So, here’s what we think the lines will look like:
Forwards
Will Smith – Macklin Celebrini – Tyler Toffoli
Collin Graf – Alex Wennberg – Philip Kurashev
Jeff Skinner – Ty Dellandrea – Ethan Cardwell
Barclay Goodrow – Adam Gaudette – Ryan Reaves
Defense
Dmitry Orlov – Nick Leddy
Mario Ferraro – John Klingberg
Sam Dickinson – Shakir Mukhamadullin
Goaltenders
Yaroslav Askarov
Alex Nedeljkovic
Florida Panthers lines vs. San Jose Sharks
As for the Panthers, here’s what the lines are expected to look like per Rob Darragh, with the Panthers’ digital team. It also sounds like we’re getting backup Daniil Tarasov in the net tonight.
Forwards
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Brad Marchand
Carter Verhaeghe – Evan Rodrigues – Sam Reinhart
Jesper Boqvist – Sam Bennett – Mackie Samoskevich
A.J. Greer – Cole Schwindt – Noah Gregor
Defense
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekbland
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Donovan Sebrango – Jeff Petry
Goaltenders
Daniil Tarasov
Sergei Bobovsky
How to watch Florida Panthers vs. San Jose Sharks Nov. 8, 2025
The puck drops at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET at SAP Center in San Jose.
Sharks fans can watch the game on NBC Sports California or listen on the Sharks Audio Network.
Panthers fans can watch the game on SCRIPPS.
If you aren’t going to the game, be sure to come back here and check in with other Sharks fans about what’s happening on the ice and around the league. It’s an exciting time to be a Sharks fan.
