Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 4 November, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

San Jose Sharks at Dallas Stars: game preview

Puck drop7 Nov · 8:00 PM ET
VenueAmerican Airlines Center
All-time meetings163 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-six points apart last season

San Jose finished last season 24th in the league on 86 points. Dallas finished 3rd on 112, and the 2025-26 season series went DAL 2-0-1.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 164

Across 163 completed games, Dallas lead the head-to-head 89-57-16.

All-time record89-57-16Dallas's record in the series
Meetings played163This is number 164
2025-26 seriesDAL 2-0-1
Last 54-1Dallas
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
5 OctSJS 0 – DAL 513–26SJS 0/2 · DAL 0/3DAL
10 Jan 2026DAL 4 – SJS 5 OT20–31DAL 0/2 · SJS 4/6SJS
18 Dec 2025DAL 5 – SJS 330–37DAL 1/1 · SJS 0/3DAL
5 Dec 2025SJS 1 – DAL 417–24SJS 0/4 · DAL 1/2DAL
8 Feb 2025DAL 8 – SJS 334–27DAL 1/2 · SJS 0/2DAL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each meeting night

DateSan JoseDallas
5 Dec 202513-13-3 · 29 pts25th19-5-5 · 43 pts2nd
18 Dec 202517-15-3 · 37 pts20th23-7-5 · 51 pts2nd
10 Jan 202623-18-3 · 49 pts18th26-10-9 · 61 pts2nd
5 Oct2-1-0 · 4 pts13th1-2-0 · 2 pts26th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 5 Dec 2025, San Jose were 25th in the league and Dallas 2nd. By 5 Oct it was 13th and 26th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Dallas out-attempted San Jose 277 to 268

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

San Jose Sharks

268 att · 125 on goal · 12 G · 9.6%
Crease28 att · 3 G
Slot108 att · 6 G
Wing96 att · 1 G
Point31 att · 2 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G

Dallas Stars

277 att · 134 on goal · 26 G · 19.4%
Crease29 att · 4 G
Slot114 att · 15 G
Wing84 att · 5 G
Point40 att · 0 G
Neutral zone10 att · 2 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Dallas 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.

San JoseDallas
2.13xG for per game3.08
3.72xG against per game2.44
36.4%xG share55.8%
+2.6FinishingGoals minus expected goals−3.2
−0.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.3

This season: 3 games for San Jose, 3 for Dallas. 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 meetings4/17 · 23.5%
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 meetings17 (3.40/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings4

Dallas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2628.6% · 2nd
Power play · last 5 meetings3/10 · 30.0%
Penalty kill · 2026-2777.8%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.3% · 13th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.1% · 86/156
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings10 (2.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings3

Skaters

Mikko Rantanen has 8 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
2Will Smith32131.00
92Igor Chernyshov32131.00
14Jamie Benn31120.67
96Mikko Rantanen31120.67
21Jason Robertson31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
42Luca Cagnoni31120.67
5Nolan Allan21010.50
65Jacob Trouba30110.33
57Tyler Myers30000.00
23Esa Lindell30000.00
Defencemen stats

Mikko Rantanen vs San Jose · game by game

See all: Mikko Rantanen vs San Jose · game by game →
DateVenueGAPSOGTOI
5 Octhome101317:34
10 Jan 2026away112321:35
18 Dec 2025away022117:43
5 Dec 2025home123218:17
Last 5 meetings8 P3 G, 5 A · 9 SOG
Next best7 PRoope Hintz, DAL
2026-27 season2 P3 GP · 1 G
Blank vs SJS0 of 4A point in every meeting
Full game log

Goaltending

Jake Oettinger has started most of these meetings

Jake Oettinger played 3 of the last 5 meetings with San Jose, with a .940 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 6 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 5 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

San Jose crease

SJS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 4 Nov

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

Two goalies used against Dallas

#vs DALAppsSAGASV%

DAL · 1-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 4 Nov

SV% · 2026-27.9432 GP · 1.01 GAA · 2025-26 .899
vs San Jose.9403 app · 67 SA · 4 GA
GSAx · 2026-27+2.02 starts · most on the roster
vs SJSVenueSAGASV%
5 Octhome1301.000
18 Dec 2025away373.919
5 Dec 2025home171.941

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Casey DeSmith .923 (1 GP)

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 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

5 Oct5 · SJS 0–5 DAL
10 Jan 20269 · DAL 4–5 SJS
18 Dec 20258 · DAL 5–3 SJS
5 Dec 20255 · SJS 1–4 DAL
8 Feb 202511 · DAL 8–3 SJS

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
Dallas2.002.003.402.76

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 suggest6.3Goals 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

10 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

Dallas · injuries

Cameron HughesUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Harrison ScottUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Luke KrysUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Matt DucheneLower BodyIRReturn25 Oct
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.

5 Oct · DAL

Assigned D Cameron Bertucci to Texas (AHL).

1 Oct · DAL

Placed F Matt Duchene on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Sept. 29. Recalled Fs Arttu Hyry and Colin Blackwell from Texas (AHL).

30 Sep · DAL

Signed G Casey DeSmith to a two-year contract.

Injury report
#2Ivar StenbergRound 1 · FrolundaLW
#9Keaton VerhoeffRound 1 · North DakotaD
#21Ryan LinRound 1 · VancouverD
#127Brady KnowlingRound 4 · Usa U-18G
Full draft
#59Jakub VanecekRound 2 · Tri-cityD
#155Ryan BrownRound 5 · LondonLW
#187Anton Emil Wilde LarsenRound 6 · FrederikshavnG
#197Jasper KuhtaRound 7 · OttawaC
Full draft

Updated after every final