The Tampa Bay Lightning will visit the San Jose Sharks for an NHL game on January 3, 2026, at 4 p.m. ET. Both teams have released their projected lineups amid several injuries. The matchup airs on The Spot and NBCSCA.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, with a record of 24-13-3, travel to face the San Jose Sharks, who stand at 20-17-3, in a Western Conference showdown. This upcoming game highlights key players returning or sidelined by injuries on both sides.
For the Lightning, the projected forward lines include Gage Goncalves centering Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov on the top line, followed by Brandon Hagel with Anthony Cirelli and Jake Guentzel, Zemgus Girgensons alongside Yanni Gourde and Pontus Holmberg, and Nick Paul with Dominic James and Oliver Bjorkstrand. On defense, pairings are J.J. Moser with Darren Raddysh, Charle-Edouard D'Astous with Erik Cernak, and Declan Carlile with Max Crozier. Andrei Vasilevskiy is expected to start in net, backed by Jonas Johansson. Scratches include Curtis Douglas and Jack Finley, while injuries sideline Ryan McDonagh (lower body), Victor Hedman (elbow), Emil Lilleberg (undisclosed), and Scott Sabourin (undisclosed).
The Sharks' projected forwards feature William Eklund with Macklin Celebrini and Igor Chernyshov up top, Collin Graf centering Alexander Wennberg and Tyler Toffoli, Jeff Skinner with Ty Dellandrea and Pavol Regenda, and Barclay Goodrow alongside Zack Ostapchuk and Ryan Reaves. Defensive pairs are Dmitry Orlov with Timothy Liljegren, Mario Ferraro with Shakir Mukhamadullin, and Sam Dickinson with Vincent Iorio. Yaroslav Askarov is slated for goal, with Alex Nedeljkovic as backup. Nick Leddy is scratched, and injuries affect Vincent Desharnais (upper body), Philipp Kurashev (upper body), Will Smith (upper body), John Klingberg (lower body), and Adam Gaudette (lower body).
In status updates, Sharks defenseman Timothy Liljegren could return after missing five games due to an upper-body injury. John Klingberg is doubtful despite playing 19:16 in their recent 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday. Forward Adam Gaudette is not expected to play after leaving that game in the second period.
