Washington Capitals at San Jose Sharks: game preview
WashingtonCapitals2026-27: 1-1-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 43-30-9 · 95 pts · 12that
San JoseSharks2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 39-35-8 · 86 pts · 24thNine points apart last season
Washington finished last season 12th in the league on 95 points. San Jose finished 24th on 86.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 57
Across 56 completed games, San Jose lead the head-to-head 33-19-4.
Last 5 meetings
See all: Last 5 meetings →The table on each 2025-26 meeting night
League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 3 Dec 2025, Washington were 3rd in the league and San Jose 21st. By 15 Jan 2026 it was 14th and 20th.
San Jose out-attempted Washington 110 to 97
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Washington Capitals
San Jose Sharks
Washington 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.
This season: 2 games for Washington, 3 for San Jose. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Washington, 10 for San Jose.
2025-26: 82 games for Washington, 82 for San Jose.
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
Washington
Small sampleSan Jose
Small sampleSkaters to watch
Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.
Who has stopped this matchup
Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.
Expected starter after their game on 6 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Expected starter after their game on 6 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Washington crease
WSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 5 Jan
No appearances against San Jose in the last meetings.
San Jose crease
SJS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 5 Jan
No appearances against Washington in the last meetings.
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
Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.
Scoring rates
Washington3.002.503.212.98
San Jose3.004.003.063.56Goals 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.
9 on the injury lists
Washington · injuries
San Jose · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen and D Jonathan McDonald from their professional tryout agreements. Assigned LW Maxim Schäfer to Cape Breton (QMJHL).
Placed G Clay Stevenson, D Louie Belpedio, C Mike Brodzinski and RW Spencer Smallman on waivers. Released G Cal Petersen from his professional tryout agreement.
Placed D Justin Holl on waivers for the purpose of being loaned to Hershey (AHL).
Placed C Patrick Giles on waivers.
Placed G Ilya Samsonov on waivers.
Placed RW Ethan Cardwell, D Libor Hajek and LW Tye Felhaber on waivers.
Washington · 2026 draft
See all: Washington · 2026 draft →San Jose · 2026 draft
See all: San Jose · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final