Early look · NHL 2026-27

San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Canucks: game preview

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

VancouverCanucks2026-27: 2-2-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 25-49-8 · 58 pts · 32nd

Puck drop3 Apr · 10:00 PM ET

VenueRogers Arena

All-time meetings161 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Twenty-eight points apart last season

San Jose finished last season 24th in the league on 86 points. Vancouver finished 32nd on 58, and the 2025-26 season series went SJS 3-0-1.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 162

Across 161 completed games, Vancouver lead the head-to-head 84-64-13.

All-time record84-64-13Vancouver's record in the series

Meetings played161This is number 162

2025-26 seriesSJS 3-0-1

Last 53-2San Jose

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

11 Apr 2026VAN 4 – SJS 3 SO——VAN

27 Jan 2026SJS 5 – VAN 2——SJS

27 Dec 2025SJS 6 – VAN 3——SJS

28 Nov 2025VAN 2 – SJS 3——SJS

14 Apr 2025SJS 1 – VAN 2 OT——VAN

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateSan JoseVancouver

28 Nov 202512-10-3 · 27 pts21st10-13-2 · 22 pts30th

27 Dec 202518-17-3 · 39 pts23rd15-19-3 · 33 pts32nd

27 Jan 202626-21-3 · 55 pts21st17-30-5 · 39 pts32nd

11 Apr 202637-34-8 · 82 pts24th23-48-8 · 54 pts32nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 28 Nov 2025, San Jose were 21st in the league and Vancouver 30th. By 11 Apr 2026 it was 24th and 32nd.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

San Jose out-attempted Vancouver 236 to 232

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

San Jose Sharks

236 att · 127 on goal · 17 G · 13.4%

Crease15 att · 3 G

Slot84 att · 7 G

Wing103 att · 6 G

Point30 att · 1 G

Neutral zone4 att · 0 G

Vancouver Canucks

232 att · 127 on goal · 10 G · 7.9%

Crease17 att · 1 G

Slot90 att · 5 G

Wing84 att · 4 G

Point33 att · 0 G

Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

San Jose and Vancouver are level on 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 JoseVancouver

2.13xG for per game2.44

3.72xG against per game3.15

36.4%xG share43.6%

+2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals+9.2

−0.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−5.4

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

Vancouver

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2723.1%

Power play · 2025-2621.8% · 14th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2768.8%

Penalty kill · 2025-2671.5% · 32nd

Faceoffs · 2026-2749.3% · 112/227

Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (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 →

San Jose

Expected starter after their game on 31 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Vancouver

Expected starter after their game on 31 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

San Jose crease

SJS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 31 Mar

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

No appearances against Vancouver in the last meetings.

Vancouver crease

VAN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 31 Mar

Kevin Lankinen.8243 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx −6.4

Leevi Meriläinen.9432 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.0

No appearances against San Jose in the last meetings.

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.9 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 Apr 20267 · VAN 4–3 SJS

27 Jan 20267 · SJS 5–2 VAN

27 Dec 20259 · SJS 6–3 VAN

28 Nov 20255 · VAN 2–3 SJS

14 Apr 20253 · SJS 1–2 VAN

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

Vancouver4.754.502.633.85

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 suggest6.9Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings6.2Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

11 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

Vancouver · injuries

Akil ThomasUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Filip ChytilShoulderIRReturn8 Oct

Jack ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct

Mackenzie MacEachernUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Thatcher DemkoHipIRReturn21 Dec

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

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.

27 Sep · VAN

Placed G Nikita Tolopilo on waivers.

25 Sep · VAN

Claimed G Leevi Merilainen off waivers from Ottawa. Placed F Filip Chytil on injured reserve. Assigned F Braeden Cootes to Abbotsford (AHL).

24 Sep · VAN

Assigned Fs Ty Mueller, Riley Patterson, Ilya Safonov and Chase Wouters, Ds Kirill Kudryavtsev and Sawyer Mynio to Abbotsford (AHL). Loaned F Ben Berard and D Isaac Belliveau to Abbotsford. Waived for the purpose of assignment to Abbotsford F Trey Fix-Wolansky and Ds Cole Clayton and Jimmy Schuldt.

Injury report

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

Vancouver · 2026 draft

See all: Vancouver · 2026 draft →

#3Caleb MalhotraRound 1 · BrantfordC

#24Adam NovotnyRound 1 · PeterboroughLW

#33Brooks RogowskiRound 2 · OshawaC

#41Niklas Aaram-OlsenRound 2 · Orebro Jr.LW

Full draft

Saturday 3 April · the full slate

See all: Saturday 3 April · the full slate →

VANThis game 10:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

San Jose Sharks at Vancouver Canucks: game preview

Twenty-eight points apart last season

Meeting number 162

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

San Jose out-attempted Vancouver 236 to 232

San Jose Sharks

Vancouver Canucks

San Jose and Vancouver are level on chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

San Jose

Vancouver

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

San Jose crease

Vancouver crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.9 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

11 on the injury lists

San Jose · injuries

Vancouver · injuries

Latest moves

San Jose · 2026 draft

Vancouver · 2026 draft

Saturday 3 April · the full slate