Early look · NHL 2026-27

San Jose Sharks at Boston Bruins: game preview

San JoseSharks2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 39-35-8 · 86 pts · 24that

BostonBruins2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 45-27-10 · 100 pts · 8th

Puck drop24 Oct · 7:00 PM ET

VenueTD Garden

All-time meetings53 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Fourteen points apart last season

San Jose finished last season 24th in the league on 86 points. Boston finished 8th on 100.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 54

Across 53 completed games, Boston lead the head-to-head 34-16-3.

All-time record34-16-3Boston's record in the series

Meetings played53This is number 54

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2San Jose

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

12 Mar 2026SJS 4 – BOS 228–41SJS 1/2 · BOS 0/2SJS

23 Nov 2025BOS 1 – SJS 335–31BOS 0/3 · SJS 1/6SJS

22 Mar 2025BOS 1 – SJS 323–21BOS 0/2 · SJS 0/2SJS

20 Jan 2025SJS 3 – BOS 628–33SJS 0/1 · BOS 1/2BOS

30 Nov 2023SJS 0 – BOS 326–37SJS 0/4 · BOS 1/4BOS

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateSan JoseBoston

23 Nov 202511-9-3 · 25 pts20th13-11-0 · 26 pts14th

12 Mar 202631-26-6 · 68 pts21st36-23-6 · 78 pts11th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 23 Nov 2025, San Jose were 20th in the league and Boston 14th. By 12 Mar 2026 it was 21st and 11th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Boston out-attempted San Jose 339 to 258

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

San Jose Sharks

258 att · 134 on goal · 13 G · 9.7%

Crease18 att · 3 G

Slot98 att · 6 G

Wing88 att · 4 G

Point44 att · 0 G

Neutral zone10 att · 0 G

Boston Bruins

339 att · 169 on goal · 13 G · 7.7%

Crease13 att · 0 G

Slot139 att · 8 G

Wing121 att · 3 G

Point55 att · 2 G

Neutral zone11 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Boston have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

San JoseBoston

2.13xG for per game2.87

3.72xG against per game3.13

36.4%xG share47.8%

+2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.5

−0.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.5

This season: 3 games for San Jose, 4 for Boston. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →

Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

San Jose

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2725.0%

Power play · 2025-2621.2% · 16th

Power play · last 5 meetings2/15 · 13.3%

Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2676.4% · 26th

Faceoffs · 2026-2744.4% · 72/162

Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings15 (3.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings2

Boston

Small sample

Power play · 2026-270.0%

Power play · 2025-2623.4% · 9th

Power play · last 5 meetings2/13 · 15.4%

Penalty kill · 2026-2772.7%

Penalty kill · 2025-2677.0% · 24th

Faceoffs · 2026-2750.4% · 117/232

Drawn · 2026-2710 (2.50/gm)

Drawn · last meetings13 (2.60/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings2

Skaters

David Pastrnak has 7 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

In the last meetings

See all: In the last meetings →

PlayerGPGAPSOG

88David Pastrnak525725

27William Eklund52359

71Macklin Celebrini414517

23Barclay Goodrow42137

3Charlie Coyle22136

2Will Smith412312

18Pavel Zacha51239

73Tyler Toffoli31236

51Matthew Poitras20334

51Collin Graf42026

Head-to-head finder

David Pastrnak vs San Jose · game by game

See all: David Pastrnak vs San Jose · game by game →

DateVenueGAPSOGTOI

12 Mar 2026home112425:00

23 Nov 2025away011621:29

22 Mar 2025away000522:44

20 Jan 2025home112620:21

30 Nov 2023home022419:05

Last 5 meetings7 P2 G, 5 A · 25 SOG

Next best5 PWilliam Eklund, SJS

2026-27 season2 P4 GP · 0 G

Blank vs SJS1 of 5

Full game log

Goaltending

Yaroslav Askarov has been the difference

Yaroslav Askarov faced 66 shots across 2 appearances against Boston and conceded 5, a .924 save percentage against a season figure of .862. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

San Jose

Expected starter after their game on 22 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Boston

Expected starter after their game on 22 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Yaroslav Askarov

See all: Yaroslav Askarov →

SJS · 2-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 21 Oct

SV% · 2026-27.8623 GP · 3.86 GAA · 2025-26 .884

vs Boston.9242 app · 66 SA · 5 GA

GSAx · 2026-27−0.83 starts · most on the roster

vs BOSVenueSAGASV%

23 Nov 2025home351.971

20 Jan 2025away314.871

Full game log

Jeremy Swayman

See all: Jeremy Swayman →

BOS · 2-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 21 Oct

SV% · 2026-27.9143 GP · 2.30 GAA · 2025-26 .908

vs San Jose.9293 app · 84 SA · 6 GA

GSAx · 2026-27+1.43 starts · most on the roster

vs SJSVenueSAGASV%

12 Mar 2026home284.857

23 Nov 2025away302.933

30 Nov 2023home2601.000

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Michael DiPietro .897 (1 GP)

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

12 Mar 20266 · SJS 4–2 BOS

23 Nov 20254 · BOS 1–3 SJS

22 Mar 20254 · BOS 1–3 SJS

20 Jan 20259 · SJS 3–6 BOS

30 Nov 20233 · SJS 0–3 BOS

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

San Jose3.004.003.063.56

Boston2.252.753.323.05

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.4Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings5.2Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

7 on the injury lists

San Jose · injuries

Adam GaudetteUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct

Alex Barre-BouletUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct

Cam LundUpper BodyIRReturn19 Oct

Kyle KeyserUpper BodyIRReturn1 Dec

Macklin CelebriniLower BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct

Quentin MustyUpper BodyIRReturn1 Dec

Boston · injuries

Charlie McAvoySuspensionOutReturn13 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

4 Oct · SJS

Placed C Patrick Giles on waivers.

27 Sep · SJS

Placed G Ilya Samsonov on waivers.

23 Sep · SJS

Placed RW Ethan Cardwell, D Libor Hajek and LW Tye Felhaber on waivers.

5 Oct · BOS

Reinstated C Matthew Poitras from injured reserve.

4 Oct · BOS

Placed RW Michael Eyssimont on waivers.

27 Sep · BOS

Placed D Henri Jokiharju on waivers. Placed C Matthew Poitras on injured reserve.

Injury report

San Jose · 2026 draft

See all: San Jose · 2026 draft →

#2Ivar StenbergRound 1 · FrolundaLW

#9Keaton VerhoeffRound 1 · North DakotaD

#21Ryan LinRound 1 · VancouverD

#127Brady KnowlingRound 4 · Usa U-18G

Full draft

Boston · 2026 draft

See all: Boston · 2026 draft →

#56Yuri IvanovRound 2 · Spartak Jr.G

#88Nils BartholdssonRound 3 · Rogle Jr.RW

#104Matvei KotkovRound 4 · Yaroslavl Jr.RW

#122Oscar OlssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.LW

Full draft

Saturday 24 October · the full slate

See all: Saturday 24 October · the full slate →

BOSThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

San Jose Sharks at Boston Bruins: game preview

Fourteen points apart last season

Meeting number 54

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Boston out-attempted San Jose 339 to 258

San Jose Sharks

Boston Bruins

Boston have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

San Jose

Boston

David Pastrnak has 7 points in the last 5 meetings

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

In the last meetings

David Pastrnak vs San Jose · game by game

Yaroslav Askarov has been the difference

Yaroslav Askarov

Jeremy Swayman

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

7 on the injury lists

San Jose · injuries

Boston · injuries

Latest moves

San Jose · 2026 draft

Boston · 2026 draft

Saturday 24 October · the full slate