Early look The full preview opens on Friday 27 November, 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

Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins: game preview

Puck drop30 Nov · 7:00 PM ET
VenuePPG Paints Arena
All-time meetings74 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Six points apart last season

Columbus finished last season 17th in the league on 92 points. Pittsburgh finished 10th on 98, and the 2025-26 season series went CBJ 2-0-2.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 75

Across 74 completed games, Pittsburgh lead the head-to-head 50-13-11.

All-time record50-13-11Pittsburgh's record in the series
Meetings played74This is number 75
2025-26 seriesCBJ 2-0-2
Last 53-2Pittsburgh
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
17 Jan 2026CBJ 4 – PIT 3 SO26–33CBJ 0/2 · PIT 0/3CBJ
4 Jan 2026PIT 5 – CBJ 4 OT43–25PIT 1/3 · CBJ 0/0PIT
28 Nov 2025PIT 4 – CBJ 3 OT24–29PIT 0/2 · CBJ 0/2PIT
25 Oct 2025CBJ 5 – PIT 4 SO41–31CBJ 0/2 · PIT 1/3CBJ
21 Mar 2025CBJ 3 – PIT 647–34CBJ 0/2 · PIT 0/1PIT
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateColumbusPittsburgh
25 Oct 20254-4-0 · 8 pts24th6-2-1 · 13 pts4th
28 Nov 202511-9-5 · 27 pts22nd12-6-5 · 29 pts9th
4 Jan 202618-16-7 · 43 pts25th20-12-9 · 49 pts10th
17 Jan 202622-19-7 · 51 pts22nd22-14-11 · 55 pts14th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 25 Oct 2025, Columbus were 24th in the league and Pittsburgh 4th. By 17 Jan 2026 it was 22nd and 14th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Pittsburgh out-attempted Columbus 345 to 341

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

Columbus Blue Jackets

341 att · 168 on goal · 17 G · 10.1%
Crease36 att · 3 G
Slot133 att · 12 G
Wing121 att · 1 G
Point46 att · 1 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G

Pittsburgh Penguins

345 att · 165 on goal · 22 G · 13.3%
Crease26 att · 4 G
Slot133 att · 11 G
Wing120 att · 5 G
Point60 att · 1 G
Neutral zone6 att · 1 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Columbus and Pittsburgh are level on 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.

ColumbusPittsburgh
2.43xG for per game3.58
2.78xG against per game2.47
46.7%xG share59.2%
+2.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals+4.3
−1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.6

This season: 2 games for Columbus, 3 for Pittsburgh. 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

Columbus

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.9% · 22nd
Power play · last 5 meetings0/8 · 0.0%
Penalty kill · 2026-2766.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.0% · 28th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.9% · 71/127
Drawn · 2026-275 (2.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings8 (1.60/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Pittsburgh

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2624.1% · 7th
Power play · last 5 meetings2/12 · 16.7%
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 meetings12 (2.40/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-276 (2.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings2

Skaters

Sidney Crosby has 8 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
89Matthew Knies22242.00
3Charlie Coyle20331.50
91Kent Johnson21121.00
71Evgeni Malkin32241.33
18Tommy Novak32241.33
81Ben Kindel22131.50
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
8Zach Werenski20221.00
36Emil Andrae20110.50
72Declan Carlile32241.33
65Erik Karlsson30441.33
49Samuel Girard31231.00
Defencemen stats

Sidney Crosby vs Columbus · game by game

See all: Sidney Crosby vs Columbus · game by game →
DateVenueGAPSOGTOI
17 Jan 2026home112321:57
4 Jan 2026away112324:34
28 Nov 2025away202319:10
25 Oct 2025home000324:32
21 Mar 2025home112318:10
Last 5 meetings8 P5 G, 3 A · 15 SOG
Next best5 PZach Werenski, CBJ
2026-27 season2 P3 GP · 0 G
Blank vs CBJ1 of 5
Full game log

Goaltending

Arturs Silovs has started most of these meetings

Arturs Silovs played 3 of the last 5 meetings with Columbus, with a .880 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 27 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 28 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

CBJ · 1-1-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Nov

SV% · 2026-27.8772 GP · 3.50 GAA · 2025-26 .908
vs Pittsburgh.8662 app · 67 SA · 9 GA
GSAx · 2026-27−1.42 starts · most on the roster
vs PITVenueSAGASV%
4 Jan 2026home435.884
28 Nov 2025home244.833
Full game log

PIT · 2-0-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 27 Nov

SV% · 2026-27.8862 GP · 2.47 GAA · 2025-26 .888
vs Columbus.8803 app · 92 SA · 11 GA
GSAx · 2026-27−0.52 starts · most on the roster
vs CBJVenueSAGASV%
17 Jan 2026home263.885
4 Jan 2026away254.840
25 Oct 2025home414.902

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Sergei Murashov .912 (1 GP)

Full game log

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 5 meetings

17 Jan 20267 · CBJ 4–3 PIT
4 Jan 20269 · PIT 5–4 CBJ
28 Nov 20257 · PIT 4–3 CBJ
25 Oct 20259 · CBJ 5–4 PIT
21 Mar 20259 · CBJ 3–6 PIT

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Columbus3.503.503.093.09
Pittsburgh5.002.673.573.27

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 5 meetings8.2Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

3 on the injury lists

Columbus · injuries

No players listed.

Pittsburgh · injuries

Bryan RustUpper BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Justin BrazeauLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ryan GravesKneeIRReturn24 Oct
6 Oct · CBJ

Placed LW Mikael Pyyhtia on waivers.

1 Oct · CBJ

Placed D Ivan Provorov on injured reserve.

27 Sep · CBJ

Assigned G Pheonix Copley to Cleveland (AHL).

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.

Injury report
#14Oscar HemmingRound 1 · Boston CollegeLW
#94Alessandro Di IorioRound 3 · SarniaC
#121Evan JardineRound 4 · YoungstownLW
#142Parker SnellRound 5 · EdmontonG
Full draft
#22Liam RuckRound 1 · Medicine HatRW
#39Markus RuckRound 2 · Medicine HatC
#54Tomas GalvasRound 2 · LiberecD
#86Pierce MbuyiRound 3 · Owen SoundLW
Full draft

Updated after every final