Early look The full preview opens on Friday 25 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 Winnipeg Jets: game preview

Puck drop28 Dec · 7:30 PM ET
VenueCanada Life Centre
All-time meetings37 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. Winnipeg finished 26th on 82.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 38

Across 37 completed games, San Jose lead the head-to-head 20-14-3.

All-time record20-14-3San Jose's record in the series
Meetings played37This is number 38
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2San Jose
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
16 Apr 2026SJS 6 – WPG 1——SJS
1 Mar 2026WPG 1 – SJS 2 OT——SJS
7 Nov 2025WPG 1 – SJS 2——SJS
24 Feb 2025SJS 1 – WPG 2 OT——WPG
17 Dec 2024WPG 4 – SJS 3——WPG
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateSan JoseWinnipeg
7 Nov 20256-6-3 · 15 pts24th9-5-0 · 18 pts7th
1 Mar 202626-21-3 · 55 pts21st20-24-7 · 47 pts30th
16 Apr 202639-35-8 · 86 pts24th35-35-12 · 82 pts26th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 7 Nov 2025, San Jose were 24th in the league and Winnipeg 7th. By 16 Apr 2026 it was 24th and 26th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

San Jose out-attempted Winnipeg 190 to 157

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

San Jose Sharks

190 att · 94 on goal · 10 G · 10.6%
Crease18 att · 2 G
Slot68 att · 7 G
Wing78 att · 1 G
Point24 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

Winnipeg Jets

157 att · 88 on goal · 3 G · 3.4%
Crease10 att · 0 G
Slot55 att · 1 G
Wing66 att · 1 G
Point22 att · 1 G
Neutral zone4 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Winnipeg 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 JoseWinnipeg
2.13xG for per game3.37
3.72xG against per game3.37
36.4%xG share50.0%
+2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals−1.1
−0.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.1

This season: 3 games for San Jose, 3 for Winnipeg. 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 meetings—
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 meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Winnipeg

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2750.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.5% · 24th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2788.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.6% · 21st
Faceoffs · 2026-2744.6% · 79/177
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
2Will Smith32131.00
92Igor Chernyshov32131.00
81Kyle Connor33251.67
91Cole Perfetti32351.67
17Adam Lowry31231.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
42Luca Cagnoni31120.67
5Nolan Allan21010.50
65Jacob Trouba30110.33
44Josh Morrissey30331.00
2Dylan DeMelo31120.67
38Mario Ferraro31010.33
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 26 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 26 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

San Jose crease

SJS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 25 Dec

Yaroslav Askarov.8623 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −0.8

No appearances against Winnipeg in the last meetings.

Winnipeg crease

WPG · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 25 Dec

Stuart Skinner.9092 GP · 1-0-1 · GSAx +1.1
Clay Stevenson.9381 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against San Jose in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 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

16 Apr 20267 · SJS 6–1 WPG
1 Mar 20263 · WPG 1–2 SJS
7 Nov 20253 · WPG 1–2 SJS
24 Feb 20253 · SJS 1–2 WPG
17 Dec 20247 · WPG 4–3 SJS

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
Winnipeg3.002.672.823.17

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 suggest6.3Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings4.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 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

Winnipeg · injuries

Connor HellebuyckSuspensionIRReturn17 Oct
Elias SalomonssonShoulderIRReturn15 Oct
Garrett BrownLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Walker DuehrLower BodyIRReturn17 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.

10 Aug 2026 · WPG

Signed F Tyrel Bauer to a two-year contract.

15 Jul 2026 · WPG

Signed F Cole Perfetti to a five-year contract.

13 Jul 2026 · WPG

Signed F Viggo Björck to a three-year contract.

Injury report
#2Ivar StenbergRound 1 · FrolundaLW
#9Keaton VerhoeffRound 1 · North DakotaD
#21Ryan LinRound 1 · VancouverD
#127Brady KnowlingRound 4 · Usa U-18G
Full draft
#8Viggo BjorckRound 1 · DjurgardenC
#71Samuel HrenakRound 3 · FargoG
#116Zach WootenRound 4 · Green BayLW
#135Alexandre TailleferRound 5 · QuebecD
Full draft

Updated after every final