Our San Jose Sharks vs Detroit Red Wings preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Saturday, October 17, 2026. The San Jose Sharks (4-3-0 this season; 39-35-8 in 2025-26) visit the Detroit Red Wings (2-3-2 this season; 41-31-10 in 2025-26) at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local). TV: DSN / NBCSCA.
Storyline: San Jose enters Saturday at 4-3-0 after a 3-2 shootout win at Nashville (Oct. 15). Detroit enters Saturday at 2-3-2 after a 2-1 win over Philadelphia (Oct. 15). Detroit won both meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Detroit at -135 and San Jose at +114 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
San Jose Sharks vs Detroit Red Wings Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | San Jose Sharks @ Detroit Red Wings |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | San Jose Sharks 4-3-0 | Detroit Red Wings 2-3-2 |
| 2025-26 Records | San Jose Sharks 39-35-8 | Detroit Red Wings 41-31-10 |
| Head Coaches | SJS: Ryan Warsofsky (3rd season) | DET: Todd McLellan (3rd season) |
| Puck Line | SJS +1.5 (-218) | DET -1.5 (+180) |
| Moneyline | San Jose Sharks: +114 | Detroit Red Wings: -135 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o-102 / u-118) |
| Venue | Little Caesars Arena (Detroit, Mich.) |
| Date / Time | Saturday, October 17, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | DSN / NBCSCA |
| Probable Starting Goalies | SJS: Yaroslav Askarov (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | DET: John Gibson (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, ~6:24 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Yaroslav Askarov (San Jose) and John Gibson (Detroit) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
San Jose Sharks Preview: Celebrini Leads a 4-3-0 Start
2025-26 recap: San Jose went 39-35-8 (86 points), finished fifth in the Pacific Division and missed the playoffs. Macklin Celebrini had 115 points (45 goals, 70 assists) and became the third teenager in NHL history to finish in the top four in league scoring, joining Sidney Crosby and Wayne Gretzky (NHL.com). Will Smith had 59 points, Alexander Wennberg had 55 and Collin Graf scored 21 goals.
Offseason moves: Celebrini signed a five-year, $94 million contract on July 29. San Jose signed defenseman Jacob Trouba (four years) and forward Mason Marchment (five years), acquired defenseman Darnell Nurse from Edmonton and defenseman Michael Kesselring from Buffalo, and selected forward Ivar Stenberg No. 2 in the 2026 draft. William Eklund was traded to Ottawa, and Mario Ferraro signed with Winnipeg (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Celebrini, Smith, Wennberg, Graf, Tyler Toffoli, Marchment, Kiefer Sherwood (23 goals last season), Igor Chernyshov, Michael Misa and the 18-year-old Stenberg lead the forwards. Trouba, Nurse, Dmitry Orlov, Kesselring, Sam Dickinson and Luca Cagnoni are on defense. Ryan Warsofsky is in his third season as coach.
Goalies: Yaroslav Askarov has started five games and is 2-3-0 with an .848 save percentage (112 saves on 132 shots). Most recently, he made 20 saves on 25 shots in a 6-3 loss to Boston (Oct. 13). Alex Nedeljkovic has started two games and is 2-0-0 with a .933 save percentage (56 saves on 60 shots). Most recently, he made 32 saves on 34 shots in a 3-2 shootout win at Nashville (Oct. 15). ESPN lists Yaroslav Askarov as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: San Jose is 4-3-0 through seven games, with 19 goals scored and 25 allowed. Results: a 4-3 overtime win over Florida (Oct. 1), a 5-4 overtime win over Los Angeles (Oct. 3), a 5-0 loss at Dallas (Oct. 5), a 3-2 overtime win at St. Louis (Oct. 8), a 3-1 loss to Edmonton (Oct. 10), a 6-3 loss to Boston (Oct. 13) and a 3-2 shootout win at Nashville (Oct. 15). Macklin Celebrini has eight points (two goals, six assists), and Will Smith has five points (three goals, two assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Darnell Nurse (upper body) is day to day; Quentin Musty (upper body) and Kyle Keyser (upper body) are on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Detroit Red Wings Preview: DeBrincat Leads a 2-3-2 Start
2025-26 recap: Detroit went 41-31-10 (92 points), finished sixth in the Atlantic Division and missed the playoffs. Alex DeBrincat led the team with 85 points (41 goals, 44 assists, 15 power-play goals), Lucas Raymond had 76 points, Dylan Larkin scored 34 goals in 74 games and Moritz Seider had 60 points (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Detroit added forward Viktor Arvidsson, who had 25 goals and 54 points for Boston, forward Keegan Kolesar from Vegas, goalie Daniil Tarasov from Florida and defenseman Andreas Englund. Patrick Kane (57 points) now plays for Chicago, and goalie Cam Talbot for Columbus. Defenseman Simon Edvinsson, a restricted free agent, is listed as out in a contract dispute and has returned to Sweden to train, per Goteborgs-Posten (NHL.com, ESPN).
Key players & coach: Larkin, DeBrincat, Raymond, Arvidsson, Andrew Copp, Emmitt Finnie, Michael Rasmussen and Nate Danielson lead the forwards. Seider, Ben Chiarot, Justin Faulk, Albert Johansson, William Wallinder and Axel Sandin-Pellikka are on defense. Todd McLellan is in his third season as coach.
Goalies: John Gibson has started five games and is 1-3-1 with an .863 save percentage (107 saves on 124 shots). Most recently, he made 32 saves on 37 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to New Jersey (Oct. 13). Daniil Tarasov has started two games and is 1-0-1 with a .965 save percentage (55 saves on 57 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 17 saves on 18 shots in a 2-1 win over Philadelphia (Oct. 15). ESPN lists John Gibson as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Detroit is 2-3-2 through seven games, with 16 goals scored and 21 allowed. Results: a 2-0 loss to the Rangers (Oct. 2), a 3-2 loss to Winnipeg (Oct. 4), a 5-3 win over Ottawa (Oct. 6), a 6-3 loss to Seattle (Oct. 9), a 1-0 shootout loss at Montreal (Oct. 10), a 5-4 overtime loss to New Jersey (Oct. 13) and a 2-1 win over Philadelphia (Oct. 15). Alex DeBrincat has eight points (four goals, four assists), and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård has five points (two goals, three assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: J.T. Compher (undisclosed), Mason Appleton (undisclosed) and Marco Kasper (upper body) are on injured reserve; Simon Edvinsson (contract dispute) is on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Sharks vs Red Wings
- Schedule spot: San Jose last played on Oct. 15 and visits Toronto on Oct. 19. Detroit last played on Oct. 15 and visits Seattle on Oct. 20. Neither team played on Friday, Oct. 16, so neither is on the second night of a back-to-back (NHL.com).
- Last season: Detroit won both meetings last season: 3-2 in a shootout in San Jose on Nov. 2, 2025 and 4-2 at home on Jan. 16, 2026 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: San Jose is converting 20 percent of its power plays and has killed 81.8 percent of penalties. Detroit is converting 16.7 percent of its power plays and has killed 69.6 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: San Jose has scored 19 goals and allowed 25 in 7 games. Detroit has scored 16 goals and allowed 21 in 7 games.
- Odds snapshot: Detroit -135 / San Jose +114 on the moneyline, Red Wings -1.5 (+180) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch San Jose Sharks vs Detroit Red Wings
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Mich.
TV: In the U.S., Detroit SportsNet (DSN) carries it in the Red Wings’ market and NBC Sports California (NBCSCA) carries it in the Sharks’ market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 17, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.