Early look The full preview opens on Friday 16 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Pittsburgh Penguins at Utah Mammoth: game preview

Puck drop19 Oct · 9:00 PM ET
VenueDelta Center
All-time meetings4 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Six points apart last season

Pittsburgh finished last season 10th in the league on 98 points. Utah finished 15th on 92.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 5

Across 4 completed games, Pittsburgh lead the head-to-head 2-1-1.

All-time record2-1-1Pittsburgh's record in the series
Meetings played4This is number 5
2025-26 series—
Last 42-2Pittsburgh
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
14 Mar 2026PIT 4 – UTA 3——PIT
14 Dec 2025UTA 5 – PIT 4 OT——UTA
29 Jan 2025PIT 3 – UTA 2 OT——PIT
23 Nov 2024UTA 6 – PIT 1——UTA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DatePittsburghUtah
14 Dec 202514-8-9 · 37 pts14th16-15-3 · 35 pts20th
14 Mar 202633-18-15 · 81 pts8th34-27-6 · 74 pts17th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 14 Dec 2025, Pittsburgh were 14th in the league and Utah 20th. By 14 Mar 2026 it was 8th and 17th.


Where the shots come from · last 4 meetings

Utah out-attempted Pittsburgh 145 to 72

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Pittsburgh Penguins

72 att · 39 on goal · 8 G · 20.5%
Crease7 att · 1 G
Slot26 att · 6 G
Wing26 att · 1 G
Point10 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G

Utah Mammoth

145 att · 65 on goal · 8 G · 12.3%
Crease9 att · 1 G
Slot55 att · 1 G
Wing57 att · 6 G
Point23 att · 0 G
Neutral zone1 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Utah have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

PittsburghUtah
3.58xG for per game3.62
2.47xG against per game2.71
59.2%xG share57.2%
+4.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.5
−0.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+2.8

This season: 3 games for Pittsburgh, 4 for Utah. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Pittsburgh

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2624.1% · 7th
Power play · last 4 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.4% · 6th
Faceoffs · 2026-2745.5% · 87/191
Drawn · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-276 (2.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Utah

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2761.5%
Power play · 2025-2620.0% · 18th
Power play · last 4 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2792.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2678.1% · 19th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.0% · 124/234
Drawn · 2026-2713 (3.25/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2714 (3.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
71Evgeni Malkin32241.33
18Tommy Novak32241.33
81Ben Kindel22131.50
8Nick Schmaltz45271.75
11Dylan Guenther43361.50
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
72Declan Carlile32241.33
65Erik Karlsson30441.33
49Samuel Girard31231.00
20Andrew Peeke41120.50
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 17 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 17 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Pittsburgh crease

PIT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 16 Oct

Arturs Silovs.8862 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx −0.5
Sergei Murashov.9121 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.5

No appearances against Utah in the last meetings.

Utah crease

UTA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 16 Oct

Karel Vejmelka.9133 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.7
Sebastian Cossa.9471 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.4

No appearances against Pittsburgh in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.6 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 4 meetings

14 Mar 20267 · PIT 4–3 UTA
14 Dec 20259 · UTA 5–4 PIT
29 Jan 20255 · PIT 3–2 UTA
23 Nov 20247 · UTA 6–1 PIT

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Pittsburgh5.002.673.573.27
Utah4.252.003.272.93

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.6Goals in this game
Last 4 meetings7.0Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

Pittsburgh · injuries

Bryan RustUpper BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Justin BrazeauLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ryan GravesKneeIRReturn24 Oct

Utah · injuries

Maveric LamoureuxShoulderIRReturn12 Feb
Mikhail SergachevUpper BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
3 Oct · PIT

Activated C/RW Benjamin Kindel from injured reserve. Placed C/LW David Gustafsson on waivers.

1 Oct · PIT

Assigned F Rutger McGroarty to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).

30 Sep · PIT

Reinstated C Blake Lizotte from injured reserve.

27 Sep · UTA

Placed LW Ben McCartney on waivers.

25 Sep · UTA

Assigned Fs Yegor Borikov, Caleb Desnoyers, Tij Iginla, Gabe Smith and G Michael Hrabal to Tucson (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Fs Brandon Tanev and Joshua Roy and D Zac Jones.

23 Jul 2026 · UTA

Signed D Max Psenicka to a three-year contract.

Injury report
#22Liam RuckRound 1 · Medicine HatRW
#39Markus RuckRound 2 · Medicine HatC
#54Tomas GalvasRound 2 · LiberecD
#86Pierce MbuyiRound 3 · Owen SoundLW
Full draft
#17Ethan BelchetzRound 1 · WindsorLW
#96Adam ValentiniRound 3 · MichiganC
#115Carl AxelssonRound 4 · MuskegonG
#130Theodor KnightsRound 5 · Modo Jr.D
Full draft

Updated after every final