Early look · NHL 2026-27

Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks: game preview

ChicagoBlackhawks2026-27: 1-3-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 29-39-14 · 72 pts · 31stat

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

Puck drop30 Jan · 4:00 PM ET

VenueSAP Center at San Jose

All-time meetings126 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Fourteen points apart last season

Chicago finished last season 31st in the league on 72 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.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 127

Across 126 completed games, San Jose lead the head-to-head 64-46-16.

All-time record64-46-16San Jose's record in the series

Meetings played126This is number 127

2025-26 series—

Last 53-2San Jose

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

15 Apr 2026SJS 2 – CHI 5——CHI

6 Apr 2026CHI 2 – SJS 3——SJS

2 Feb 2026SJS 3 – CHI 6——CHI

13 Mar 2025CHI 2 – SJS 4——SJS

31 Oct 2024CHI 2 – SJS 3——SJS

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateChicagoSan Jose

2 Feb 202621-23-8 · 50 pts27th26-21-3 · 55 pts21st

6 Apr 202628-36-14 · 70 pts31st37-32-7 · 81 pts23rd

15 Apr 202629-39-14 · 72 pts31st38-35-8 · 84 pts24th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 2 Feb 2026, Chicago were 27th in the league and San Jose 21st. By 15 Apr 2026 it was 31st and 24th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

San Jose out-attempted Chicago 143 to 134

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

Chicago Blackhawks

134 att · 70 on goal · 13 G · 18.6%

Crease10 att · 3 G

Slot51 att · 3 G

Wing51 att · 6 G

Point19 att · 1 G

Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

San Jose Sharks

143 att · 67 on goal · 8 G · 11.9%

Crease6 att · 1 G

Slot58 att · 4 G

Wing55 att · 3 G

Point20 att · 0 G

Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Chicago 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.

ChicagoSan Jose

2.41xG for per game2.13

3.83xG against per game3.72

38.7%xG share36.4%

−0.7FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.6

−1.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.8

This season: 4 games for Chicago, 3 for San Jose. 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

Chicago

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2711.1%

Power play · 2025-2616.9% · 29th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2763.6%

Penalty kill · 2025-2683.6% · 2nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2742.1% · 99/235

Drawn · 2026-279 (2.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/gm)

PP goals · last meetings0

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

Skaters

Skaters to watch

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

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 →

Chicago

Expected starter after their game on 28 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

San Jose

Expected starter after their game on 28 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Chicago crease

CHI · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Jan

Spencer Knight.8913 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.5

Arvid Soderblom.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.0

No appearances against San Jose in the last meetings.

San Jose crease

SJS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Jan

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

No appearances against Chicago in the last meetings.

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

15 Apr 20267 · SJS 2–5 CHI

6 Apr 20265 · CHI 2–3 SJS

2 Feb 20269 · SJS 3–6 CHI

13 Mar 20256 · CHI 2–4 SJS

31 Oct 20245 · CHI 2–3 SJS

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

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

Chicago2.254.252.603.35

San Jose3.004.003.063.56

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 meetings6.4Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Chicago · injuries

Andrew MangiapaneLower BodyOutReturn25 Oct

Connor BedardShoulderIRReturn7 Nov

Teuvo TeravainenUndisclosedOutReturn10 Oct

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

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

3 Oct · CHI

Assigned D Charles Alexis Legault to Chicago (AHL).

24 Sep · CHI

Agreed to terms with F Oliver Moore on a five-year contract extension. Loaned Fs Jiri felcman, Martin Misiak and Marek Vanacker and D Dylan Anhorn to Rockford (AHL). Assigned F Brett Seney to Rockford.

21 Sep · CHI

Placed D Derrick Pouliot on waivers.

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.

Injury report

Chicago · 2026 draft

See all: Chicago · 2026 draft →

#34Xavier VilleneuveRound 2 · Blainville-boisbriandD

#35Ryan RoobroeckRound 2 · NiagaraLW

#66Samu AlalauriRound 3 · Pelicans Jr.D

#194Alexander IvanovRound 7 · Bars KazanD

Full draft

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

Saturday 30 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 30 January · the full slate →

SJSThis game 5:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Chicago Blackhawks at San Jose Sharks: game preview

Fourteen points apart last season

Meeting number 127

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

San Jose out-attempted Chicago 143 to 134

Chicago Blackhawks

San Jose Sharks

Chicago have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Chicago

San Jose

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Chicago crease

San Jose crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

9 on the injury lists

Chicago · injuries

San Jose · injuries

Latest moves

Chicago · 2026 draft

San Jose · 2026 draft

Saturday 30 January · the full slate