Tampa Bay Lightning at San Jose Sharks
NHL game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the San Jose Sharks on Jan 03, 2026. Final score: Tampa Bay Lightning 7, San Jose Sharks 3.
| Status | Final |
|---|---|
| Date | Jan 03, 2026 |
| Venue | SAP Center at San Jose |
| Tampa Bay Lightning score | 7 |
| San Jose Sharks score | 3 |
Shot charts, expected goals (xG), Game Score and advanced box scores for this game are available on Hockey Alchemy.
Three Stars by Game Score
Ranked by Game Score, which rolls goals, assists, shot quality, play-driving and penalties into one number — so the best player is chosen by the box score, not by a vote.
| Player | Pos | G | A | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Nikita Kucherov | R | 1 | 4 | 2 | 15:37 | 0.37 | 3.21 |
| 2nd | Darren Raddysh | D | 3 | 0 | 3 | 20:48 | 0.20 | 2.35 |
| 3rd | Pavol Regenda | L | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9:11 | 1.21 | 2.20 |
Scoring Summary
| Time | Team | Goal | Assists | Strength | Score (Tampa Bay Lightning–San Jose Sharks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st 02:37 | TBL | Brayden Point | Max Crozier, Nikita Kucherov | 5v5 | 1–0 |
| 1st 04:08 | TBL | Darren Raddysh | Nikita Kucherov, Gage Goncalves | 5v5 | 2–0 |
| 1st 06:46 | TBL | Brandon Hagel | Jake Guentzel, Charle-Edouard D'Astous | 5v5 | 3–0 |
| 1st 10:50 | SJS | Pavol Regenda | Timothy Liljegren, Macklin Celebrini | 5v4 | 3–1 |
| 2nd 02:49 | TBL | Darren Raddysh | Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel | 4v5 | 4–1 |
| 2nd 03:55 | TBL | Dominic James | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 5v5 | 5–1 |
| 2nd 09:50 | SJS | Pavol Regenda | Timothy Liljegren, Jeff Skinner | 5v5 | 5–2 |
| 2nd 14:08 | TBL | Nikita Kucherov | Oliver Bjorkstrand, Brayden Point | 4v5 | 6–2 |
| 2nd 16:53 | TBL | Darren Raddysh | Nikita Kucherov, Nick Paul | 4v5 | 7–2 |
| 3rd 16:11 | SJS | Pavol Regenda | Jeff Skinner | 5v5 | 7–3 |
Team Comparison
| Tampa Bay Lightning | San Jose Sharks | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 7 | 3 |
| Shots on goal | 26 | 22 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 3.94 | 3.75 |
| High-danger shots | 23 | 11 |
| Corsi % | 56.6% | 43.4% |
| Power play | 3/3 | 1/3 |
| Faceoff % | 44.1% | 55.9% |
| Hits | 8 | 23 |
| Blocks | 8 | 17 |
| Giveaways | 18 | 13 |
| Takeaways | 2 | 7 |
Tampa Bay Lightning Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikita Kucherov | R | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 15:37 | 0.37 | 3.21 |
| Darren Raddysh | D | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 20:48 | 0.20 | 2.35 |
| Brayden Point | C | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 14:44 | 0.14 | 1.44 |
| Oliver Bjorkstrand | R | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 14:28 | 0.45 | 1.23 |
| Jake Guentzel | C | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 16:56 | 0.12 | 1.13 |
| Charle-Edouard D'Astous | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20:48 | 0.05 | 0.74 |
| Dominic James | C | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10:35 | 0.19 | 0.70 |
| Max Crozier | D | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16:49 | 0.04 | 0.69 |
| Brandon Hagel | L | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 16:58 | 0.42 | 0.65 |
| Nick Paul | L | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16:38 | 0.06 | 0.64 |
| Gage Goncalves | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13:31 | 0.16 | 0.39 |
| Declan Carlile | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17:36 | 0.06 | 0.05 |
| Zemgus Girgensons | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13:27 | 0.60 | 0.00 |
| Anthony Cirelli | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18:08 | 0.03 | -0.05 |
| Pontus Holmberg | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13:36 | 0.47 | -0.10 |
| Erik Cernak | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:29 | 0.02 | -0.15 |
| Yanni Gourde | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 15:19 | 0.50 | -0.20 |
| J.J. Moser | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16:57 | 0.00 | -0.35 |
San Jose Sharks Skaters
| Player | Pos | G | A | P | SOG | TOI | xG | Game Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pavol Regenda | L | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9:11 | 1.21 | 2.20 |
| Jeff Skinner | L | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 9:33 | 0.15 | 1.38 |
| Timothy Liljegren | D | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 21:39 | 0.01 | 1.33 |
| Macklin Celebrini | C | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 24:19 | 0.57 | 0.64 |
| Vincent Iorio | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23:58 | 0.08 | 0.20 |
| Igor Chernyshov | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16:05 | 0.08 | 0.15 |
| Ty Dellandrea | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10:28 | 0.02 | 0.15 |
| Mario Ferraro | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21:02 | 0.00 | 0.10 |
| Shakir Mukhamadullin | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5:33 | 0.00 | 0.05 |
| Tyler Toffoli | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:56 | 0.06 | 0.05 |
| Collin Graf | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17:17 | 0.06 | 0.00 |
| Ryan Reaves | R | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9:15 | 0.06 | -0.05 |
| Alexander Wennberg | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19:38 | 0.26 | -0.05 |
| Zack Ostapchuk | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11:35 | 0.05 | -0.10 |
| William Eklund | L | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21:54 | 0.25 | -0.15 |
| Sam Dickinson | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20:03 | 0.06 | -0.15 |
| Dmitry Orlov | D | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23:20 | 0.03 | -0.20 |
| Barclay Goodrow | C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11:31 | 0.44 | -0.65 |
Goaltending
| Goalie | Team | SV | SA | SV% | GSAx | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 19 | 22 | 86.4% | -2.34 | W |
| Alex Nedeljkovic | San Jose Sharks | 12 | 16 | 75.0% | 0.45 | L |
| Yaroslav Askarov | San Jose Sharks | 7 | 10 | 70.0% | -1.02 |
Analysis
The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the San Jose Sharks 7–3 on Jan 03, 2026, a decisive 4-goal win.
San Jose Sharks generated 3.75 expected goals to Tampa Bay Lightning's 3.94 — the run of play matched the result, with Tampa Bay Lightning earning the better chances as well as the goals; by expected goals it was close to a coin flip.
Nikita Kucherov led all skaters with a Game Score of 3.21 on 1 goal, 4 assists, 2 shots on goal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Tampa Bay Lightning vs San Jose Sharks game?
The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the San Jose Sharks 7–3 on Jan 03, 2026.
What was the final score?
The final score was Tampa Bay Lightning 7, San Jose Sharks 3.
Who was the best player in this game?
By Game Score — a single-number summary of everything a skater did — Nikita Kucherov led all skaters at 3.21, on 1G, 4A and 2 shots on goal.
Which team deserved to win by expected goals?
San Jose Sharks generated 3.75 expected goals and Tampa Bay Lightning generated 3.94, so Tampa Bay Lightning created the better chances. That matches the result.
What were the shot totals?
Tampa Bay Lightning put 26 shots on goal and San Jose Sharks put 22. High-danger chances went 23 to 11.
How did the goaltenders play?
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 19 of 22 (-2.34 goals saved above expected); Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 12 of 16 (0.45 goals saved above expected).