Los Angeles Kings vs San Jose Sharks Final — October 3, 2026
LAStarting goaliesSJ
LAOffenseFull 2025-26 regular season (last season)SJLADefenseSJLATeamSJLA5-on-5SJLASpecial teamsSJLARecent formSJInjuries & restkey injuries · rest and travel
LARest & travelSJLAKey injuriesSJAbout these numbers
Goalie status from the G&W goalie tracker (Confirmed, Expected, Likely or Not confirmed); teams confirm starters close to puck drop. Season lines come from the NHL Lab goalie tables. GSAx = goals saved above expected (Gridiron & Wine expected goals). HD Sv% = save rate on high-danger shots.
Full 2025-26 regular season (last season), captured before kickoff. League rank in small type (32 teams); the gold side ranks higher. Bars show rank, longest = 1st. Source: Gridiron & Wine public Analytics tables.
2025-26 regular season, public NHL Lab tables; ranks out of 32 teams. Expected goals are Gridiron & Wine's own expected-goals numbers.
2025-26 regular season. Rates are per 60 minutes of power-play or penalty-kill time.
Regular-season results this season, oldest to newest (OTL = overtime or shootout loss). Records are season to date, with home and road splits. Over–under uses the consensus closing total.
Distance is straight-line from each team's home arena; time-zone change is at game time. Rest counts days since each team's previous game.
No key players listed.
Key players only. Injury report as of October 3, 6:40 a.m. ET.
The pre-game matchup
The Kings (0-1-0) visited the Sharks (1-0-0) on Saturday, October 3 at 10:10 PM ET.
Last season (2025-26), the Kings scored 2.74 goals per game (29th of 32) and allowed 3.01 (12th). The Sharks scored 3.06 goals per game (18th of 32) and allowed 3.56 (30th). The Kings earned 54.9% of available standings points (20th) and the Sharks 52.4% (22nd).
Expected-goals share (5-on-5), the share of 5-on-5 expected goals created: Kings 52.2% (7th), Sharks 47.4% (26th). Shot-attempt share (5-on-5), the share of all 5-on-5 shot attempts: Kings 52.2% (8th), Sharks 46.9% (28th). High-danger chance share, the share of 5-on-5 high-danger chances: Kings 52.7% (12th), Sharks 54.7% (7th). These are last season's full-season numbers because the new season's sample is still small; rosters change over the offseason.
The total closed 6.5, unchanged from the open. After removing the vig, the closing moneyline (Kings -110, Sharks -110) prices the Kings at 50% and the Sharks at 50%.
Written from the numbers available before kickoff.
Result
Final score and result vs the closing line
Los Angeles Kings 4, San Jose Sharks 5
San Jose Sharks won by 1.
- Against the closing spread (San Jose Sharks -1.5): Los Angeles Kings covered.
- Combined score 9 vs the closing total of 6.5: Over.
- San Jose Sharks closed at -110 on the moneyline (a 50% no-vig market-implied chance).
Actual result
San Jose Sharks 5
Before the game: market and G&W
From open to close the market moved 2 points toward Los Angeles Kings.
Market numbers are the consensus moneyline with the bookmaker margin removed.
Win probability
Each team's chance of winning through the game, starting from the market's closing price (Los Angeles Kings 50%, San Jose Sharks 50%) and moving with every goal, penalty and the clock until the final.
Biggest swings
- 2nd 9:52 — San Jose Sharks goal (1-2)San Jose Sharks 50% → 71% (+21 pts)
- 3rd 15:00 — Los Angeles Kings goal (4-4)Los Angeles Kings 12% → 50% (+38 pts)
- OT 3:18 — San Jose Sharks goal (4-5)San Jose Sharks 50% → 100% (+50 pts)
San Jose Sharks won after falling as low as 32% (1st 15:50).
Chance Quality Result
Based on the quality of chances each team created, Los Angeles Kings won 76% of G&W replays (San Jose Sharks 24%). The result went the other way from the chances each team created.
The Chance Quality Result describes the chances each team created. It is not the official result and never changes it or any record. Expected goals count regulation chances with both goalies in net; empty-net goals are not included. Season xG tables count every game state, empty nets included, so their totals differ.
Game DNA
The Chance Quality Result above favoured Los Angeles Kings. Here is where that came from.
| Kings | Goals | Sharks |
|---|---|---|
| 2.7 | 5-on-5 chancesexpected goals | 1.3 |
| 0.4 | Power-play chancesexpected goals | 0.2 |
| 0.0 | Other situations4-on-4, 3-on-3, short-handed | 0.0 |
| 3.1 | Chance Quality Result chancesthe three rows above, as in the result | 1.5 |
| 0.6 | Overtime and pulled-goalie chancesnot part of the Chance Quality Result | 0.1 |
| 0.3 | Second chancesrebounds and flurries, part of the above | 0.2 |
| +0.2 | Finishinggoals vs expected on own shots | +3.4 |
| -3.4 | Goaltendingsaves vs expected · Anton Forsberg 20/25 · Yaroslav Askarov 31/35 | -0.2 |
How the margin was built, from San Jose Sharks's side:
The first three rows add up to the Chance Quality Result's expected goals. Overtime chances and chances with a goalie pulled are listed on their own, and empty-net goals are not in expected goals. A team's finishing and the other team's goaltending are the same goals seen from each end.
The official play, graded
The official play on this game, at the price it was sent, graded against the final score.
Every official play is logged and graded, wins and losses alike. Full track record.
Line review
San Jose Sharks closed as the market favourite at 50% and won.
The line moved toward Los Angeles Kings before puck drop, and they lost.
Market
Closing line and line movement
Kings +1.5 (-245)
Kings +1.5 (-270)
Sharks -120 52%
Sharks -110 50%
Consensus of US sportsbooks. Open = first line after both teams' previous games; Close = consensus at kickoff. Percentages are the moneyline's no-vig market-implied chances.
Members
G&W Line
G&W’s own number for this game, next to the market. Analytics
Matchup
Head-to-head
The teams have met 33 times since 2018-19: the Kings won 15 and the Sharks 18.
| Date | Score | Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 7, 2026 | Sharks 4, Kings 3 OT Sharks won | Kings -225 underdog won | 6.5 over |
| Nov 20, 2025 | Kings 3, Sharks 4 SO Sharks won | Kings -175 underdog won | 5.5 over |
| Oct 28, 2025 | Kings 4, Sharks 3 Kings won | Kings -218 favorite won | 6 over |
| Mar 30, 2025 | Sharks 1, Kings 8 Kings won | Kings -375 favorite won | 5.5 over |
| Nov 25, 2024 | Kings 2, Sharks 7 Sharks won | Kings -250 underdog won | 5.5 over |
Regular-season meetings since 2018-19, most recent first. Line = consensus closing moneyline favorite and total where line history is available.
Teams
Los Angeles Kings
- Los Angeles Kings team stats
- Los Angeles Kings 1, Chicago Blackhawks 2 (Oct 27)
- Los Angeles Kings 6, New York Rangers 3 (Oct 26)
- Los Angeles Kings 1, New Jersey Devils 3 (Oct 24)
San Jose Sharks
- San Jose Sharks team stats
- Buffalo Sabres 2, San Jose Sharks 0 (Oct 27)
- San Jose Sharks 4, Boston Bruins 6 (Oct 24)
- San Jose Sharks 6, Ottawa Senators 2 (Oct 22)
Gridiron & Wine graded a pick on this game: see the archived pick.
More NHL games on October 3, 2026
- Chicago Blackhawks 3, Buffalo Sabres 4 (Oct 3)
- Utah Mammoth 4, Columbus Blue Jackets 1 (Oct 3)
- Seattle Kraken 1, Edmonton Oilers 3 (Oct 3)
- Carolina Hurricanes 3, Philadelphia Flyers 2 (Oct 3)
- Montréal Canadiens 5, Pittsburgh Penguins 6 (Oct 3)
- Washington Capitals 1, Tampa Bay Lightning 3 (Oct 3)
- Ottawa Senators 3, Toronto Maple Leafs 2 (Oct 3)
- New Jersey Devils 0, New York Islanders 6 (Oct 3)
- Boston Bruins 1, Minnesota Wild 4 (Oct 3)
- Dallas Stars 1, Nashville Predators 2 (Oct 3)
- St Louis Blues 1, Colorado Avalanche 6 (Oct 3)
- Calgary Flames 1, Vancouver Canucks 4 (Oct 3)
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