‹WED DEC 9›
3 games
Early look The full preview opens on Sunday 6 December, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

San Jose Sharks at Los Angeles Kings: game preview

Puck drop9 Dec · 9:30 PM ET
VenueCrypto.com Arena
All-time meetings215 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Four points apart last season

San Jose finished last season 24th in the league on 86 points. Los Angeles finished 20th on 90, and the 2025-26 season series went SJS 2-1-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 216

Across 215 completed games, San Jose lead the head-to-head 117-79-18.

All-time record117-79-18San Jose's record in the series
Meetings played215This is number 216
2025-26 seriesSJS 2-1-0
Last 53-2San Jose
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
3 OctLAK 4 – SJS 5 OT35–25LAK 2/3 · SJS 1/2SJS
7 Jan 2026SJS 4 – LAK 3 OT28–26SJS 2/4 · LAK 0/3SJS
20 Nov 2025LAK 3 – SJS 4 SO34–24LAK 0/4 · SJS 0/3SJS
28 Oct 2025LAK 4 – SJS 314–40LAK 0/1 · SJS 0/5LAK
30 Mar 2025SJS 1 – LAK 823–36SJS 0/3 · LAK 2/5LAK
Head-to-head finder

The table on each meeting night

DateSan JoseLos Angeles
28 Oct 20252-6-2 · 6 pts31st5-3-3 · 13 pts11th
20 Nov 202510-8-3 · 23 pts24th10-6-5 · 25 pts10th
7 Jan 202622-18-3 · 47 pts18th18-14-10 · 46 pts19th
3 Oct2-0-0 · 4 pts6th0-1-1 · 1 pts28th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 28 Oct 2025, San Jose were 31st in the league and Los Angeles 11th. By 3 Oct it was 6th and 28th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Los Angeles out-attempted San Jose 323 to 281

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

San Jose Sharks

281 att · 140 on goal · 16 G · 11.4%
Crease22 att · 3 G
Slot121 att · 9 G
Wing92 att · 4 G
Point39 att · 0 G
Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

Los Angeles Kings

323 att · 145 on goal · 22 G · 15.2%
Crease16 att · 2 G
Slot132 att · 10 G
Wing117 att · 9 G
Point51 att · 1 G
Neutral zone7 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Los Angeles 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 JoseLos Angeles
2.13xG for per game2.88
3.72xG against per game2.43
36.4%xG share54.2%
+2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+0.4
−0.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−7.7

This season: 3 games for San Jose, 3 for Los Angeles. 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 meetings3/17 · 17.6%
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 meetings17 (3.40/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings3

Los Angeles

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2716.7%
Power play · 2025-2617.0% · 28th
Power play · last 5 meetings4/16 · 25.0%
Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2674.6% · 30th
Faceoffs · 2026-2756.9% · 103/181
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings16 (3.20/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings4

Skaters

Macklin Celebrini 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.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
2Will Smith32131.00
92Igor Chernyshov32131.00
10Artemi Panarin32131.00
56Erik Haula31231.00
14Alex Laferriere31231.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
42Luca Cagnoni31120.67
5Nolan Allan21010.50
65Jacob Trouba30110.33
92Brandt Clarke30220.67
8Drew Doughty30110.33
Defencemen stats

Macklin Celebrini vs Los Angeles · game by game

See all: Macklin Celebrini vs Los Angeles · game by game →
DateVenueGAPSOGTOI
3 Octhome022221:42
7 Jan 2026away123725:12
20 Nov 2025home011320:11
28 Oct 2025home011419:52
30 Mar 2025away000216:00
Last 5 meetings7 P1 G, 6 A · 18 SOG
Next best6 PAdrian Kempe, LAK
2026-27 season5 P2 GP · 0 G
Blank vs LAK1 of 5
Full game log

Goaltending

Yaroslav Askarov has started most of these meetings

Yaroslav Askarov played 4 of the last 5 meetings with Los Angeles, with a .872 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 8 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 5 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

SJS · 2-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Dec

SV% · 2026-27.8623 GP · 3.86 GAA · 2025-26 .884
vs Los Angeles.8724 app · 109 SA · 14 GA
GSAx · 2026-27−0.83 starts · most on the roster
vs LAKVenueSAGASV%
3 Octhome354.886
7 Jan 2026away263.885
20 Nov 2025home343.912
28 Oct 2025home144.714
Full game log

Los Angeles crease

LAK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Dec

Darcy Kuemper.8252 GP · 0-2-0 · GSAx −4.2
Anton Forsberg.8001 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −3.5

Two goalies used against San Jose

#vs SJSAppsSAGASV%
31Anton Forsberg2498.837
35Darcy Kuemper2687.897

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

3 Oct9 · LAK 4–5 SJS
7 Jan 20267 · SJS 4–3 LAK
20 Nov 20257 · LAK 3–4 SJS
28 Oct 20257 · LAK 4–3 SJS
30 Mar 20259 · SJS 1–8 LAK

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
Los Angeles3.005.002.743.01

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 meetings7.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 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

Los Angeles · injuries

Jakub DvorakUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Jan JenikUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct
Kevin FialaLower LegIRReturn17 Oct
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.

27 Sep · LAK

Placed D Otto Salin on the injured non-roster list. Loaned G Erik Portillo to Ontario (AHL).

24 Sep · LAK

Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford (AHL) Fs Martin Chromia, Cole Guttman, Lane Pederson and Francesco Pinelli and D Joe Hicketts. Loaned Fs Aatu Jamsen and Koehn Ziemmer, Ds Angus Booth, Kirill Kirsanov and Jared Woolley to Ontario. Placed F Jan Jenik and D Jakub Dvorak on injured reserve.

15 Jul 2026 · LAK

Signed F Elton Hermansson to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Injury report
#2Ivar StenbergRound 1 · FrolundaLW
#9Keaton VerhoeffRound 1 · North DakotaD
#21Ryan LinRound 1 · VancouverD
#127Brady KnowlingRound 4 · Usa U-18G
Full draft
#19Elton HermanssonRound 1 · ModoRW
#46Liam LefebvreRound 2 · ChicoutimiC
#49Adam GoljerRound 2 · TrencinD
#80Blake ZielinskiRound 3 · Des MoinesC
Full draft

Updated after every final