We’re in the home stretch, folks, and with three games left in the season, the Sharks wrap things up on the road. While still not “officially” out of the playoff race, it’s out of the Sharks’ hands. San Jose would have to win out AND there would have to be a major collapse by the teams in front of the Sharks for San Jose to make the playoffs. So, we’re watching the Tankathon standings again. That means this matchup with the Nashville Predators has a much different meaning than it did a week or so ago. While fans would like to see a respectable showing, really, it’s about how the youngsters perform.
And one of those youngsters is Luca Cagnoni, who has been called up multiple times this season, but this time we get to see what he can do. Cagnoni is the top-scoring defenseman for the Barracuda this season and has 43 points in 67 games. He’s a minus-nine for the season. He’s expected to play alongside Vincent Desharnais tonight and quarterback the top power play unit, giving Sharks’ fans a good idea of what he could offer next season. This is an audition for a NHL role and will let General Manafwr Mike Grier know what he needs to go looking for on July 1.
While the Sharks don’t have a shot at the playoffs, their opponents tonight, the Nashville Predators, do. The Preds are a point behind the Los Angeles Kings in the standings, but if Nashville can at least tie LA, it has the tiebreaker – regulation wins. Two of those wins have come over the Sharks, a pair of 6-3 triumphs. San Jose would like to make things a lot closer this time around, even if the team doesn’t win. Look for this to be a tough game for the Sharks tonight.
San Jose Sharks lines tonight
With Cagnoni getting the nod, one of the veteran defensemen will come out. San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reports that Cagnoni will replace Nick Leddy in the lineup. As a result, this is what we think the lineup will look like tonight with the youth taking a more front and center role.
Finally, look for Alex Nedeljkovic to start in net for the Sharks.
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
Shakir Mukhamadullin — Mario Ferraro
Sam Dickinson — Dmitry Orlov
Luca Cagnoni — Vincent Desharnais
Goaltenders
Alex Nedeljkovic
Yaroslav Askarov
Nashville Predators lines vs. San Jose Sharks
The Predators will be putting backup goaltender Justus Annunen in the net against the Sharks tonight according to NHL.com.
Forwards
Steven Stamkos — Ryan O’Reilly — Luke Evangelista
Filip Forsberg — Matthew Wood — Jonathan Marchessault
Zachary L’Heureux — Erik Haula — Joakim Kemell
Reid Schaefer — Fedor Svechkov — Tyson Jost
Defense
Brady Skjei — Roman Josi
Adam Wilsby — Nick Perbix
Ryan Ufko — Justin Barron
Goaltenders
Justus Annunen
Juuse Saros
How to watch San Jose Sharks vs. Nashville Predators April 13, 2026
The puck drops at 5 p.m. PT/7 p.m. CT at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
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 or listen on 102.5 The Game.
Be sure to come back here at game time to talk about what’s happening on the ice and around the league. The playoffs are just around the corner, and a win by the Predators could very well mean that the Kings are out.
