The Sharks vs Maple Leafs Monday matchup at Scotiabank Arena brings together two teams trying to stop the bleeding after rough patches to open the season. San Jose (4-3-1) visits Toronto (3-4-2) on Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET, with the Maple Leafs losing three straight and the Sharks dropping two of their last three. The biggest question entering puck drop is which team’s power play can find its footing, since both clubs rank in the bottom half of the league in converting with the man advantage.
San Jose Sharks At Toronto Maple Leafs Game Information
- Date: Monday, Oct. 19
- Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+, NBC Sports BA
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season
Which Team Has The Better Recent Form?
Neither side arrives with momentum. The Maple Leafs have lost four of their last five games, including a 4-1 defeat to the New York Islanders on Oct. 17 and an overtime loss to Buffalo two days earlier. Toronto’s lone win in that stretch came Oct. 10, a 6-3 result over Colorado.
San Jose has split its last five, beating St. Louis in overtime and Nashville in a shootout, but falling to Edmonton, Boston and Detroit in between. The Sharks’ most recent game was an Oct. 17 shootout loss to the Red Wings, 4-3. Both teams sit near the bottom of their divisions, with Toronto at 8 points in the Atlantic and San Jose at 9 points in the Pacific.
Who Are The Projected Starting Goalies?
Yaroslav Askarov is listed as the probable starter for San Jose, while Sergei Bobrovsky is projected to start for Toronto, according to the official data. Neither designation is confirmed until warmups. San Jose’s team save percentage sits at .877 with a 3.50 goals-against average, while Toronto’s is .885 with a 3.44 goals-against average, nearly identical marks for both clubs through the early schedule.
How Banged Up Are The Maple Leafs Up Front?
Toronto is dealing with a significant number of forwards on injured reserve. John Tavares (lower body) is not expected back until Nov. 27, and Max Domi is on IR recovering from back surgery with a projected return of Nov. 21. Dakota Joshua (abdomen) and Miles Wood (undisclosed) both carry return dates of Oct. 22 and Oct. 24, respectively, while defenseman Chris Tanev (upper body) has an Oct. 22 target. That leaves the Maple Leafs leaning heavily on Auston Matthews, who leads the team with 6 goals, 7 assists and 13 points this season.
San Jose’s injury list is shorter. Forward Quentin Musty (upper body) and goaltender Kyle Keyser (upper body) are both on IR with a Dec. 1 return target, leaving the Sharks’ top lineup largely intact.
By The Numbers
- Goals: Toronto 29, San Jose 21
- Points (team): Toronto 79, San Jose 56
- Shots on goal: Toronto 252, San Jose 221
- Shooting percentage: Toronto 11.5%, San Jose 9.5%
- Faceoff percentage: Toronto 52.3%, San Jose 47.0%
- Power-play goals: Toronto 8, San Jose 6
- Save percentage: Toronto .885, San Jose .877
- Goals against average: San Jose 3.50, Toronto 3.44
- Penalty minutes: San Jose 79, Toronto 71
Key Matchup: Celebrini Vs. A Thin Toronto Blue Line
Macklin Celebrini leads San Jose in every major offensive category with 3 goals, 8 assists and 11 points, and he will face a Toronto defense already missing Tanev to injury. The Maple Leafs own the edge in team shooting percentage and faceoff rate, but their 3.44 goals-against average and recent four-game slide suggest the back end has been stretched thin. How Toronto’s defensive pairings handle Celebrini’s puck movement, without Tanev in the lineup, could shape much of the game.
On the other side, Matthews carries Toronto’s offense with 13 points in the early going, and San Jose’s penalty kill will need to manage a power play that has already scored eight times this season.
What To Watch
Both teams are looking to climb out of the lower half of their divisions, with Toronto at eighth in a tightly packed Atlantic and San Jose fourth in a thin Pacific. A win for either side would snap a losing skid of at least two games. San Jose’s recent form in extra time, with wins in a shootout and overtime over its last five, points to a team capable of grinding out close results, a factor worth watching if Monday’s game stays tight into the third period.
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