Sharks vs. Golden Knights preseason opener: who San Jose plays today and what their chances look like

The San Jose Sharks open their 2025–26 preseason today against the Vegas Golden Knights at SAP Center, with puck drop scheduled for 5:00 p.m. PT. The matchup arrives with sharply different trajectories: Vegas enters camp as a polished contender with established stars, while San Jose leans into a youth-forward rebuild designed to turn promising prospects into everyday impact players. For local fans, the game streams on the club’s digital platforms, while the visiting market can watch through KnightTime+. Audio is available via the Sharks Audio Network and FOX Sports Las Vegas. Preseason lineups often flex from shift to shift, but this first exhibition still offers a valuable look at systems, speed, and chemistry under game pressure.

San Jose’s focus today is about pace and structure. The coaching staff wants to see how fast the team can transition from retrievals to exits and how effectively the forwards support low in the defensive zone before attacking. With Macklin Celebrini unavailable due to illness, the center depth chart will be shuffled; that creates an opportunity for Michael Misa to handle NHL tempo down the middle and for Will Smith to show he can drive chances from the wing. The Sharks also aim to measure how their new and young defensemen handle forecheck pressure and manage the middle of the ice against a disciplined opponent.

The forward group should present more skill than a year ago. Veterans like Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Skinner bring finishing and spacing, complementing the creativity of younger talents such as Smith, Collin Graf, Philipp Kurashev, and Misa. Expect San Jose to emphasize controlled entries on at least two lines, with the other units leaning into forecheck-and-cycle sequences to tilt the ice. Coaches will also watch off-puck habits—quick changes, tracking through the neutral zone, and layered support on breakouts—to ensure the details keep pace with the skill.

On defense, San Jose blends mentorship with upside. John Klingberg’s passing can jumpstart exits and stabilize power-play touches, while Nick Leddy’s transport game pairs well with a right-shot partner like Timothy Liljegren. Prospects Sam Dickinson and Luca Cagnoni are key evaluation targets; both can move pucks, but the staff is especially interested in their gap timing and how they sort rushes against NHL-caliber speed. Vincent Desharnais supplies the heavy minutes around the crease and on the penalty kill, a critical complement to the puck-movers.

In goal, Alex Nedeljkovic is slated for the first half to two periods, with Jakub Skarek expected to close. The priority is less about the result and more about process: rebound control, post integration on sharp-angle plays, and communication on set exits. With a young defense corps rotating through combinations, clear goalie–defense dialogue on dump-ins and rim plays will be an emphasis. If the Sharks can keep the slot clean and limit east–west against the rush, the goaltending plan should hold steady.

Vegas, even with a preseason travel roster, remains a stringent systems test. The Golden Knights typically defend the middle of the ice, close quickly in the neutral zone, and punish turnovers with fast strikes. For San Jose’s top six, the challenge is to make plays under pressure without drifting too wide; for the depth lines, the assignment is winning pucks back, extending shifts in the offensive zone, and drawing penalties by working through bodies instead of around them. Special teams reps will matter, but five-on-five structure is the truest measure of how far camp concepts have settled.

As for chances, the typical preseason caveat applies: lineups vary, chemistry is new, and sample sizes are tiny. Still, the Sharks have a plausible path to driving play if the top two lines control entries and the checking unit can stall Vegas’s transition game. A balanced defensive rotation that marries puck movement with crease protection would further level the field. If the hosts can keep rush-against attempts down and set their cycle, they should generate enough opportunities to test the visiting goaltenders and tilt expected goals in their favor.

Individual storylines will color the day. Misa’s touch through the middle, Smith’s pacing on the wing, and Musty’s shot volume in limited minutes are all under the microscope. On the back end, Dickinson’s retrievals under pressure and Cagnoni’s ability to beat the first forechecker will determine how effectively San Jose escapes and attacks. Veteran additions like Toffoli, Skinner, Leddy, and Klingberg are expected to raise the team’s baseline by helping young linemates get to the right spots and by stabilizing special teams. In that sense, this exhibition is a microcosm of the Sharks’ broader aim: integrate high-ceiling youth with enough experience to make growth sustainable.

Finally, context matters. Vegas has owned the recent series in the regular season, and their structure tends to travel well—even in September. That makes today less about a statement and more about benchmarks: can San Jose close quicker in the neutral zone, win more first touches, and finish the kinds of looks that were too often left on the table last year? If those boxes get checked, the score will take care of itself. Either way, this is the first real glimpse of how the Sharks intend to play when the games start to count.