San Jose Sharks at Washington Capitals: game preview
San JoseSharks2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 39-35-8 · 86 pts · 24that
WashingtonCapitals2026-27: 1-1-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 43-30-9 · 95 pts · 12thNine points apart last season
San Jose finished last season 24th in the league on 86 points. Washington finished 12th on 95.
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, San Jose were 21st in the league and Washington 3rd. By 15 Jan 2026 it was 20th and 14th.
San Jose out-attempted Washington 110 to 97
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
San Jose Sharks
Washington Capitals
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: 3 games for San Jose, 2 for Washington. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for San Jose, 10 for Washington.
2025-26: 82 games for San Jose, 82 for Washington.
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 sampleWashington
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 15 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Expected starter after their game on 16 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
San Jose crease
SJS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 16 Feb
No appearances against Washington in the last meetings.
Washington crease
WSH · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 16 Feb
No appearances against San Jose 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
San Jose3.004.003.063.56
Washington3.002.503.212.98Goals 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
San Jose · injuries
Washington · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →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.
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).
San Jose · 2026 draft
See all: San Jose · 2026 draft →Washington · 2026 draft
See all: Washington · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final