Our Florida Panthers vs San Jose Sharks preview covers the odds, puck line, total, puck drop time, TV channel and where to watch on Thursday, October 1, 2026. The Florida Panthers (40-38-4 in 2025-26) visit the San Jose Sharks (39-35-8) at SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose, Calif. Puck drop is 10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM PT). TV: NBC Sports California / Scripps Sports (U.S.) / TVA Sports (Canada).
Season-opener storyline: The Sharks open their season at SAP Center with Macklin Celebrini, who had 115 points last season, and No. 2 overall pick Ivar Stenberg. Florida is 1-0-0 after a 1-0 overtime win at Carolina on Tuesday, Sept. 29, when Gustav Forsling scored at 4:55 of overtime and Jacob Markstrom made 15 saves for the shutout in his first game back with the Panthers. DraftKings lists Florida at -142 and San Jose at +120 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Florida Panthers vs San Jose Sharks Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Florida Panthers @ San Jose Sharks |
|---|---|
| 2025-26 Records | Florida Panthers 40-38-4 | San Jose Sharks 39-35-8 |
| Head Coaches | FLA: Paul Maurice (5th season) | SJS: Ryan Warsofsky (3rd season) |
| Puck Line | FLA -1.5 (+170) | SJS +1.5 (-205) |
| Moneyline | Florida Panthers: -142 | San Jose Sharks: +120 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+105 / u-125) |
| Venue | SAP Center at San Jose (San Jose, Calif.) |
| Date / Time | Thursday, October 1, 2026 — 10:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | NBC Sports California / Scripps Sports (U.S.) / TVA Sports (Canada) |
| Starting Goalies | Not confirmed. Projected: FLA: Jacob Markstrom / Akira Schmid | SJS: Yaroslav Askarov / Alex Nedeljkovic |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, ~6:21 PM ET. Totals ranged from 6 to 6.5 across books at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. Starting goalies were not confirmed at research time.
Florida Panthers Preview: Last Season, Offseason & Goalies
2025-26 recap: Florida went 40-38-4 (84 points), finished seventh in the Atlantic and missed the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup in 2024 and 2025. Injuries to Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, Carter Verhaeghe, Sam Bennett, Seth Jones and others derailed the season (NHL.com). Sam Reinhart led the team with 61 points in 64 games, and Bennett had 58.
Offseason moves: Florida acquired Brady Tkachuk (59 points in 60 games) from Ottawa to join his brother Matthew. Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky signed with Toronto, and the Panthers acquired Jacob Markstrom from New Jersey for Evan Rodrigues, Jesper Boqvist and Ben Steeves, and Akira Schmid from Vegas. They also signed defenseman Radko Gudas and forward Lars Eller, acquired Garnet Hathaway from Philadelphia, and traded Mackie Samoskevich to Seattle.
Key players & coach: Barkov, Reinhart, both Tkachuks, Verhaeghe, Bennett and Anton Lundell lead the forwards, and Forsling, Aaron Ekblad, Niko Mikkola and Jones anchor the defense. Paul Maurice is in his fifth season as coach.
Goalies: Markstrom went 23-19-1 with a 3.07 GAA and .883 save percentage for New Jersey last season before stopping all 15 shots he faced in Tuesday’s opener. Schmid went 16-10-6 with a 2.59 GAA for Vegas. Florida had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season opener recap: Florida beat Carolina 1-0 in overtime at Lenovo Center on Sept. 29. Forsling scored the only goal, assisted by Verhaeghe, and Florida outshot Carolina 20-15 (NHL.com).
Injuries: Marchand (lower body) is on injured reserve and will miss the start of the season after offseason surgery. Jonah Gadjovich (upper body) and MacKenzie Entwistle are also on injured reserve (NHL.com, ESPN).
San Jose Sharks Preview: Celebrini and a Rebuilt Defense
2025-26 recap: San Jose went 39-35-8 (86 points), finished fifth in the Pacific Division and missed the playoffs for a seventh straight season. Celebrini had 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists), more than the Sharks’ next two scorers, Will Smith (59) and Alexander Wennberg (55), combined. San Jose ranked 30th in goals-against average and 25th in save percentage, and its power play ranked 16th (21.2 percent) (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: The Sharks signed defenseman Jacob Trouba to a four-year contract, acquired defenseman Darnell Nurse from Edmonton and signed forward Mason Marchment. They drafted Ivar Stenberg No. 2 overall and acquired defenseman Michael Kesselring from Buffalo. William Eklund (53 points) was traded to Ottawa, and defensemen Shakir Mukhamadullin, Mario Ferraro and Vincent Desharnais left. Celebrini signed a five-year, $94 million extension that begins next season.
Key players & coach: Celebrini, Smith, Wennberg, Collin Graf (21 goals), Michael Misa, Tyler Toffoli and Stenberg lead the forwards, with Trouba, Nurse, Sam Dickinson and Dmitry Orlov on defense. Ryan Warsofsky begins his third season as coach.
Goalies: Yaroslav Askarov went 21-20-4 with a 3.63 GAA and .884 save percentage last season, and Alex Nedeljkovic went 18-14-4 with a 2.87 GAA and .896 save percentage. San Jose had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Injuries: Forwards Adam Gaudette (upper body), Alex Barre-Boulet (undisclosed), Quentin Musty (upper body) and Cam Lund (upper body) and goalie Kyle Keyser (upper body) are on injured reserve (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Panthers vs Sharks
- Schedule spot: It is San Jose’s first game of the season. Florida had Wednesday off after winning its opener in Raleigh on Tuesday.
- Celebrini factor: Celebrini’s 45 goals last season were more than Smith (24) and Graf (21) combined (NHL.com).
- Goaltending: San Jose ranked 30th in goals-against average last season. Markstrom opened this season with a 15-save shutout.
- Florida’s health: The Panthers dealt with a long list of injuries last season, and Marchand is out to start this season.
- New defensemen: Trouba and Nurse were added to a San Jose defense that allowed 3.54 goals per game last season, 30th in the NHL (NHL.com).
- Odds snapshot: Florida -142 / San Jose +120 on the moneyline, Panthers -1.5 (+170) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Florida Panthers vs San Jose Sharks
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2026
Puck drop: 10:00 PM ET (7:00 PM PT)
Venue: SAP Center at San Jose, San Jose, Calif.
TV: NBC Sports California carries the game in the Sharks’ market and Scripps Sports in the Panthers’ market (NHL.com). TVA Sports has the French-language national broadcast in Canada, and ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 1, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.