Rangers vs. Sharks: Lineups, storylines with 2 teams heading opposite ways

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Rangers vs. Sharks: Lineups, storylines with 2 teams heading opposite ways

Rangers vs. Sharks: Lineups, storylines with 2 teams heading opposite ways — Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Jim Cerny · Forever Blueshirts

Fri, Jan 23, 2026 ·

6 min read

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Two teams heading in opposite directions and reside on opposite coasts collide Friday at SAP Center, when the New York Rangers visit the San Jose Sharks .

The Rangers (21-24-6) began the season with high hopes that they could return to the postseason after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2024-25. However, the reality is that the Rangers raised the white flag on this season last week, announcing their intention to retool the roster amid an extremely frustrating and disappointing campaign.

They're last in the Eastern Conference , and lost seven of their past eight games. The Rangers are 27th in the NHL in scoring, averaging 2.66 goals per game, and their minus-21 goal differential is worst in the conference.

Worse, the Rangers lack quality depth throughout the organization, and far too often look old and slow. That's the exact opposite of the resurgent and exciting Sharks (25-21-3), who are tied with the Seattle Kraken for the second wild card in the Western Conference. If they make the Stanley Cup Playoffs this spring, it'll be the first time the Sharks did so since the 2018-19 season.

The Sharks began the season with plenty of young talent, but figuring they were at least another year away from contending. But they are right in the middle of everything, despite surrendering an average of 3.51 goals per game, third-most in the NHL .

This is the only home for the Sharks in a span which has them play nine out of 10 on the road. They split their previous four games on the road, including a 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. They begin a five-game road trip next Tuesday that carries the Sharks to the Olympic break.

The Rangers, who are second in the NHL with 16 road wins, finish off a four-game trip with this game against the Sharks. Following a win last Saturday against the Flyers in Philadelphia , the Rangers lost two straight in SoCal, including 4-3 to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.

This is the second and final meeting between the Rangers and Sharks this season. The Blueshirts lost a wild 6-5 affair at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 23, when Macklin Celebrini set up Will Smith for the overtime-winner.

3 storylines when Rangers visit Sharks

NHL: New York Rangers at San Jose Sharks — Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

1. Taking bites out of the Sharks

Including that OT loss earlier in the season, the Rangers earned points in 14 straight games against the Sharks (11-0-3). They're 35-10-3 with four ties against the Sharks, since the team in teal joined the NHL for the 1991-92 season. Their .740 all-time points percentage against the Sharks is the second best for the Rangers against any team.

Rangers assistant David Quinn returns to San Jose , where he was Sharks coach for two seasons (2022-24). And coming back to the Shark Tank is meaningful for Rangers coach Mike Sullivan, too. He was a part of the Sharks inaugural season, making his NHL debut as a player with them on Oct. 29, 1991. He played his first three NHL seasons with the Sharks, totaling 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) in 171 games.

The Sharks lineup, by the way, features three former Rangers forwards: Barclay Goodrow , Ryan Reaves , and Alex Wennberg .

2. Braden Schneider eyes rebound in possible audition

It's well documented that Braden Schneider's struggled with the increased responsibility moving up to the top defense pair. He was mostly OK when filling in for the injured Adam Fox for 14 games in December. But these past seven games with Fox again injured, it hasn't been a smooth ride for the 14-year-old defenseman. That includes Tuesday against the Kings, when he was on ice for three goals against (and one for), and took a pair of second-period penalties that slowed any Rangers momentum.

No Rangers player's been on ice for more 5v5 goals against this season than Schneider (45), and his expected goal share is an unsightly 44.24 percent, per Natural Stat Trick . But there are many teams interested in trying to pry him away from the Rangers during their stated retool.

The Sharks reportedly are one of those teams, making for a very intriguing subplot to the game Friday.

"Schneider is somebody on their radar," The Fourth Period's Dave Pagnotta told Forever Blueshirts on the RINK RAP podcast Thursday.

So, yes, keep an eye on No. 4 in white at SAP Center on Friday. You know the Sharks will be watching.

3. San Jose's 'young Sidney Crosby '

NHL: San Jose Sharks at New York Rangers — Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Sharks have several exciting young stars on their roster. But none shines brighter than Celebrini. The 19-year-old is fourth in the NHL with 73 points (24 goals, 48 assists) in 49 games. That puts his name right there with three of the League's best — Nathan MacKinnon , Connor McDavid , and Nikita Kucherov are the only players with more points than the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NHL Draft.

Sullivan compared him to one of the all-time greats in NHL history, a player he coached for a decade with the Pittsburgh Penguins .

"I think they have a young Sidney Crosby in Celebrini. That's who he reminds me of, with the way he plays the game and his passion to play the game a certain way," Sullivan told the New York Post on Thursday. "But he not only has elite skill, but he's got an elite work ethic. And that's most specifically what reminds me of the way Sid approached the game."

Though Celebrini has just two assists in his past five games, he had it all working against the Rangers back in October, exploding for a season-high three goals and five assists.