In the grand scheme of games and the San Jose Sharks’ playoff hopes, this one is huge. The Sharks play host to the Nashville Predators tonight and this one has massive playoff implications. The Sharks and the Predators are tied with 79 points apiece and are fighting it out for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference. This is the second of three meetings between the two teams, which means there is plenty of opportunity for animosity to build up. The last time these two teams met, the Predators jumped on the Sharks early and pounded them to a 6-3 final score in Smashville. The Sharks will need to come out hard tonight to erase the memories of that game.
Tonight will mark the first time that Yaroslav Askarov and Juuse Saros will face one another on opposite sides of the ice since the trade between the Sharks and Predators a few seasons ago. You’ll remember that the Preds traded Askarov because they felt Saros was the team’s goaltender of the near future. Tonight is a good chance for Askarov to prove to the Preds that the team made a huge mistake.
Checking in on the playoff race as of this morning, the Sharks are still tied with the Predators and the Kings with 79 points but San Jose has a game in hand over the other two teams and so, right now, the Sharks hold onto the upper hand. However, a loss tonight would put Nashville in the driver seat.
San Jose Sharks lines tonight
For the Sharks, San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reports if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The Sharks have not tinkered with the lines since last Thursday’s win and will roll with the same lines.
The only difference is that Askarov is in the net.
Forwards
Igor Chernyshov — Macklin Celebrini — Will Smith
William Eklund — Alexander Wennberg — Kiefer Sherwood
Collin Graf — Michael Misa — Tyler Toffoli
Barclay Goodrow — Zack Ostapchuk — Adam Gaudette
Defense
Dmitry Orlov — Vincent Desharnais
Shakir Mukhamadullin — Mario Ferraro
Sam Dickinson — Nick Leddy
Goaltenders
Yaroslav Askarov
Alex Nedeljkovic
Nashville Predators lines vs. San Jose Sharks
The Predators are healthy with no injured players expected to miss tonight’s game. As we talked about, it looks like it will be Saros vs. Askarov for the first time since the trade. This is what NHL.com reports the lines are likely to look like for the Preds tonight.
Forwards
Zachary L’Heureux — Ryan O’Reilly — Steven Stamkos
Filip Forsberg — Matthew Wood — Jonathan Marchessault
Tyson Jost — Erik Haula — Luke Evangelista
Reid Schaefer — Fedor Svechkov — Joakim Kemell
Defense
Brady Skjei — Roman Josi
Nicolas Hague — Nick Perbix
Adam Wilsby — Justin Barron
Goaltenders
Juuse Saros
Justus Annunen
How to watch the Nashville Predators at San Jose Sharks April 4, 2026
The puck drops at 7:00 p.m. PT/9:00 p.m. CT at SAP Center in San Jose.
Sharks fans can watch today’s game on NBCSCA or listen on the Sharks Audio Network.
Predators fans can watch the game on FanDuel Sports Network South. They can listen on 102.5 The Game.
Be sure to come back here at game time to talk with other Sharks fans about what’s happening on the ice and around the league.
