The San Jose Sharks are on the road and hoping to shake off those demons from another failed attempt to beat the Vegas Golden Knights. San Jose can prove that it has what it takes to compete in the playoffs by taking on another playoff contender today, the Washington Capitals. The last time these two teams met, the Sharks didn’t fare well. The Capitals beat up on the Sharks, dominating San Jose 7-1 on Dec. 3. A 4-0 first period by the Capitals ended the game before it truly got started. The Sharks would love to avenge that loss.

Since that game, the Capitals continue to battle it out for a spot in the Metropolitan Division standings. While the Caps’ game has fallen off a bit, Washington is 5-4-1 in its last ten games and has dropped to third in the division. The team has a 24-17-6 record, just a point behind the New York Islanders and two points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.

Tom Wilson continues to lead the Capitals in points with 42 in 41 games. He also leads the team in goals. Close behind him in both categories is Alex Ovechkin. The 40-year-old Ovechkin has 20 goals and 40 points this season.

Wilson will not play tonight. He is considered day-to-day.

In the net, Logan Thompson continues to have a Vezina caliber season. The netminder is 17-12-4 with a .916 save percentage. His backup, Charlie Lindgren is 7-5-2 with a .888 save percentage. For the Sharks, it really won’t matter who is in the net since it was Lindgren who backstopped Washington’s 7-1 victory in December.

San Jose Sharks lines today

For the Sharks, Will Smith is taking contact in practice, but he’s not expected to match up against his former linemate Ryan Leonard tonight. Look for Smith to potentially return to the lineup tomorrow night. There is some shuffling of the lines again as Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky tries to fire up the offense; we’ll see if they work. Collin Graf returns to the top line, while William Eklund drops down to the second line.

San Jose Hockey Now’s Sheng Peng reports that Alex Nedeljkovic starts in the net.

Forwards
Collin Graf — Macklin Celebrini — Igor Chernyshov
William Eklund — Alexander Wennberg — Tyler Toffoli
Pavol Regenda — Michael Misa — Adam Gaudette
Barclay Goodrow — Zack Ostapchuk — Ryan Reaves

Defense
Dmitry Orlov — John Klingberg
Mario Ferraro — Timothy Liljegren
Sam Dickinson — Vincent Iorio

Goaltenders
Alex Nedeljkovic
Yaroslav Askarov

Washington Capitals lines vs. San Jose Sharks

According to NHL.com, these are the projected lines for the Washington Capitals. Jakob Chychrun returns to the lineup after missing a few games with an illness. Wilson is not skating and he will not play tonight. Pierre-Luc Dubois is also expected to sit out tonight’s game. Thompson is expected to start in the net for the Capitals tonight.

Forwards
Alex Ovechkin — Dylan Strome — Ethen Frank
Aliaksei Protas — Connor McMichael — Ryan Leonard
Brandon Duhaime — Nic Dowd — Anthony Beauvillier
Sonny Milano — Hendrix Lapierre — Brett Leason

Defense
Martin Fehervary — John Carlson
Jakob Chychrun — Matt Roy
Rasmus Sandin — Dylan McIlrath

Goaltenders
Logan Thompson
Charlie Lindgren

How to watch San Jose Sharks at Washington Capitals Jan. 15, 2026

The puck drops at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET at Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C.

Sharks fans can watch today’s game on NBCSCA or listen on the Sharks Audio Network.

Capitals fans can watch the game on MNMT or listen on 106.7 THE FAN/Caps Radio Network.

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. This is an early one, so there will be plenty to talk about as the evening wears on.