Early look · NHL 2026-27

Carolina Hurricanes at San Jose Sharks: game preview

CarolinaHurricanes2026-27: 2-1-1 · 5 pts · 2025-26: 53-22-7 · 113 pts · 2ndat

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

Puck drop20 Mar · 10:30 PM ET

VenueSAP Center at San Jose

All-time meetings42 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Twenty-seven points apart last season

Carolina finished last season 2nd in the league on 113 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 43

Across 42 completed games, Carolina lead the head-to-head 25-15-2.

All-time record25-15-2Carolina's record in the series

Meetings played42This is number 43

2025-26 series—

Last 54-1Carolina

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

7 Dec 2025SJS 4 – CAR 1——SJS

14 Oct 2025CAR 5 – SJS 1——CAR

20 Mar 2025CAR 3 – SJS 1——CAR

10 Dec 2024SJS 2 – CAR 3——CAR

27 Oct 2023SJS 0 – CAR 3——CAR

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateCarolinaSan Jose

14 Oct 20253-0-0 · 6 pts2nd0-1-2 · 2 pts29th

7 Dec 202517-9-2 · 36 pts5th14-13-3 · 31 pts21st

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 14 Oct 2025, Carolina were 2nd in the league and San Jose 29th. By 7 Dec 2025 it was 5th and 21st.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Carolina out-attempted San Jose 168 to 76

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

Carolina Hurricanes

168 att · 72 on goal · 6 G · 8.3%

Crease10 att · 1 G

Slot58 att · 3 G

Wing68 att · 0 G

Point27 att · 2 G

Neutral zone5 att · 0 G

San Jose Sharks

76 att · 40 on goal · 5 G · 12.5%

Crease5 att · 1 G

Slot35 att · 4 G

Wing24 att · 0 G

Point10 att · 0 G

Neutral zone2 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Carolina 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.

CarolinaSan Jose

3.74xG for per game2.13

2.21xG against per game3.72

62.9%xG share36.4%

−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.6

−3.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.8

This season: 4 games for Carolina, 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

Carolina

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2719.0%

Power play · 2025-2624.9% · 4th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2789.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2680.5% · 11th

Faceoffs · 2026-2752.1% · 125/240

Drawn · 2026-2721 (5.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/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.

Forwards to watch

See all: Forwards to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

20Sebastian Aho44371.75

37Andrei Svechnikov41341.00

53Jackson Blake40330.75

71Macklin Celebrini20552.50

2Will Smith32131.00

92Igor Chernyshov32131.00

Points leaders

Defencemen to watch

See all: Defencemen to watch →

PlayerGPGAPP/GP

4Shayne Gostisbehere41120.50

74Jaccob Slavin40220.50

5Jalen Chatfield40110.25

42Luca Cagnoni31120.67

5Nolan Allan21010.50

65Jacob Trouba30110.33

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 →

Carolina

Expected starter after their game on 18 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

San Jose

Expected starter after their game on 18 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Carolina crease

CAR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 17 Mar

Brandon Bussi.8513 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.7

Pyotr Kochetkov.8891 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 17 Mar

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

No appearances against Carolina 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

7 Dec 20255 · SJS 4–1 CAR

14 Oct 20256 · CAR 5–1 SJS

20 Mar 20254 · CAR 3–1 SJS

10 Dec 20245 · SJS 2–3 CAR

27 Oct 20233 · SJS 0–3 CAR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

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

Carolina2.753.003.612.93

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 meetings4.6Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Carolina · injuries

Alexander NikishinContract DisputeOutReturn10 Oct

Seth JarvisShoulderIRReturn24 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 · CAR

Placed G Cayden Primeau on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed LD Juuso Valimaki on waivers.

27 Sep · CAR

Placed C Seth Jarvis on the injured non-roster list. Placed D Juuso Valimaki 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

Carolina · 2026 draft

See all: Carolina · 2026 draft →

#51William HakanssonRound 2 · LuleaD

#61Wiggo SorenssonRound 2 · Boro/vetlandaC

#68Zachary LansardRound 3 · ReginaRW

#105Michael BerchildRound 4 · Usa U-18LW

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 20 March · the full slate

See all: Saturday 20 March · the full slate →

Updated after every final