Early look · NHL 2026-27

Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks: game preview

VegasGolden Knights2026-27: 3-1-0 · 6 pts · 2025-26: 39-26-17 · 95 pts · 13that

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

Puck drop26 Dec · 10:00 PM ET

VenueSAP Center at San Jose

All-time meetings51 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Nine points apart last season

Vegas finished last season 13th in the league on 95 points. San Jose finished 24th on 86, and the 2025-26 season series went VGK 4-0-0.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 52

Across 51 completed games, Vegas lead the head-to-head 38-5-8.

All-time record38-5-8Vegas's record in the series

Meetings played51This is number 52

2025-26 seriesVGK 4-0-0

Last 55-0Vegas

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

11 Jan 2026VGK 7 – SJS 2——VGK

23 Dec 2025SJS 2 – VGK 7——VGK

29 Nov 2025SJS 3 – VGK 4——VGK

9 Oct 2025VGK 4 – SJS 3 OT——VGK

7 Jan 2025VGK 4 – SJS 2——VGK

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateVegasSan Jose

9 Oct 20251-0-1 · 3 pts5th0-0-1 · 1 pts19th

29 Nov 202511-6-8 · 30 pts11th12-11-3 · 27 pts22nd

23 Dec 202517-8-10 · 44 pts8th17-17-3 · 37 pts24th

11 Jan 202621-11-12 · 54 pts9th23-19-3 · 49 pts18th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 9 Oct 2025, Vegas were 5th in the league and San Jose 19th. By 11 Jan 2026 it was 9th and 18th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Vegas out-attempted San Jose 232 to 198

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

Vegas Golden Knights

232 att · 113 on goal · 22 G · 19.5%

Crease27 att · 6 G

Slot79 att · 8 G

Wing87 att · 5 G

Point33 att · 1 G

Neutral zone6 att · 2 G

San Jose Sharks

198 att · 87 on goal · 10 G · 11.5%

Crease18 att · 2 G

Slot77 att · 7 G

Wing63 att · 1 G

Point31 att · 0 G

Neutral zone9 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Vegas 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.

VegasSan Jose

3.79xG for per game2.13

2.09xG against per game3.72

64.4%xG share36.4%

+1.8FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.6

−1.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.8

This season: 4 games for Vegas, 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

Vegas

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2731.3%

Power play · 2025-2624.6% · 6th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2783.3%

Penalty kill · 2025-2681.4% · 7th

Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 122/230

Drawn · 2026-2716 (4.00/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (3.00/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 →

Vegas

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

San Jose

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

Vegas crease

VGK · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 23 Dec

Carter Hart.8903 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −1.1

Adin Hill.9001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx −0.5

No appearances against San Jose in the last meetings.

San Jose crease

SJS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 23 Dec

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

No appearances against Vegas in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 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

11 Jan 20269 · VGK 7–2 SJS

23 Dec 20259 · SJS 2–7 VGK

29 Nov 20257 · SJS 3–4 VGK

9 Oct 20257 · VGK 4–3 SJS

7 Jan 20256 · VGK 4–2 SJS

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

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

Vegas4.252.503.233.05

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 suggest6.5Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings7.6Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Vegas · injuries

Lukas CormierUndisclosedIRReturn22 Oct

Raphael LavoieUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct

Victor OlofssonUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn8 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 →

30 Sep · VGK

Signed C William Karlsson to a two-year contract.

29 Sep · VGK

Placed C Jakub Cormier, RW Matyas Hemmerling and C Jakub Uchacz on the injured non-roster list.

23 Sep · VGK

Placed D Jaycob Megna, D Adam Ginning, D Joe Fleming, C Jakub Demek and D Jeremy Davies 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

Vegas · 2026 draft

See all: Vegas · 2026 draft →

#29Juho PiiparinenRound 1 · TapparaD

#63ForfeitedRound 2 ·

#92Benjamin WilmottRound 3 · BarrieC

#95Sean BurickRound 3 · PentictonD

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 26 December · the full slate

See all: Saturday 26 December · the full slate →

Updated after every final

Vegas Golden Knights at San Jose Sharks: game preview

Nine points apart last season

Meeting number 52

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Vegas out-attempted San Jose 232 to 198

Vegas Golden Knights

San Jose Sharks

Vegas have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Vegas

San Jose

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

Vegas crease

San Jose crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

9 on the injury lists

Vegas · injuries

San Jose · injuries

Latest moves

Vegas · 2026 draft

San Jose · 2026 draft

Saturday 26 December · the full slate