Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 31 December, 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

Edmonton Oilers at Pittsburgh Penguins: game preview

Puck drop3 Jan · 3:00 PM ET
VenuePPG Paints Arena
All-time meetings91 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Five points apart last season

Edmonton finished last season 14th in the league on 93 points. Pittsburgh finished 10th on 98.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 92

Across 91 completed games, Edmonton lead the head-to-head 51-35-5.

All-time record51-35-5Edmonton's record in the series
Meetings played91This is number 92
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Edmonton
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
22 Jan 2026PIT 6 – EDM 2——PIT
16 Dec 2025EDM 6 – PIT 4——EDM
9 Jan 2025EDM 3 – PIT 5——PIT
25 Oct 2024PIT 0 – EDM 4——EDM
10 Mar 2024EDM 4 – PIT 0——EDM
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateEdmontonPittsburgh
16 Dec 202516-12-6 · 38 pts14th14-9-9 · 37 pts15th
22 Jan 202625-19-8 · 58 pts13th25-14-11 · 61 pts9th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 16 Dec 2025, Edmonton were 14th in the league and Pittsburgh 15th. By 22 Jan 2026 it was 13th and 9th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Pittsburgh out-attempted Edmonton 114 to 111

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

Edmonton Oilers

111 att · 55 on goal · 8 G · 14.5%
Crease11 att · 2 G
Slot33 att · 2 G
Wing51 att · 3 G
Point15 att · 1 G
Neutral zone1 att · 0 G

Pittsburgh Penguins

114 att · 53 on goal · 10 G · 18.9%
Crease10 att · 1 G
Slot55 att · 7 G
Wing34 att · 1 G
Point13 att · 1 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Edmonton 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.

EdmontonPittsburgh
3.31xG for per game3.58
2.10xG against per game2.47
61.2%xG share59.2%
+7.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals+4.3
−7.7GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.6

This season: 3 games for Edmonton, 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

Edmonton

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2630.6% · 1st
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2757.1%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.8% · 20th
Faceoffs · 2026-2751.7% · 91/176
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-277 (2.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Pittsburgh

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2624.1% · 7th
Power play · last 5 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

Skaters

Skaters to watch

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

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
97Connor McDavid32793.00
29Leon Draisaitl33251.67
71Evgeni Malkin32241.33
18Tommy Novak32241.33
81Ben Kindel22131.50
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
2Evan Bouchard34482.67
6Ryan Shea31231.00
14Mattias Ekholm30000.00
72Declan Carlile32241.33
65Erik Karlsson30441.33
49Samuel Girard31231.00
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 2 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 1 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Edmonton crease

EDM · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 31 Dec

Devon Levi.8102 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx −3.6
Tristan Jarry.7391 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −4.1

No appearances against Pittsburgh in the last meetings.

Pittsburgh crease

PIT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 31 Dec

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

No appearances against Edmonton in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 7.1 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

22 Jan 20268 · PIT 6–2 EDM
16 Dec 202510 · EDM 6–4 PIT
9 Jan 20258 · EDM 3–5 PIT
25 Oct 20244 · PIT 0–4 EDM
10 Mar 20244 · EDM 4–0 PIT

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Edmonton5.674.673.443.28
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 suggest7.1Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

12 on the injury lists

Edmonton · injuries

Alec RegulaUndisclosedIRReturn24 Oct
Atro LeppanenUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct
Frederik AndersenKneeIRReturn30 Dec
James StefanUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Jason DickinsonFootIRReturn7 Oct
Matt SavoieLower BodyIRReturn24 Nov
Mattias JanmarkUndisclosedIRReturn15 Oct
Ryan Nugent-HopkinsLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct
Zach HymanUndisclosedOutReturn17 Oct

Pittsburgh · injuries

Bryan RustUpper BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Justin BrazeauLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ryan GravesKneeIRReturn24 Oct
1 Oct · EDM

Placed F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on injured reserve. Placed D Alec Regula on long-term injured reserve. Recalled F Josh Samanski under emergency conditions.

27 Sep · EDM

Placed G Matt Tomkins on waivers for the purpose of assignment to Bakersfield (AHL).

25 Sep · EDM

Loaned D Tomas Cibulka, Fs Connor Clattenburg, Quinn Hutson, Viljami Marjala, William Nicholl and Aku Raty and G Connor Ungar to Bakersfield (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Bakersfield Ds Josh Brown and Riley Stillman and F Eduards Tralmaks.

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
#58Rudolfs BerzkalnsRound 2 · MuskegonC
#84Malcom GastrinRound 3 · Modo Jr.LW
#133Andrew RobinsonRound 5 · WindsorD
#180Caden HarveyRound 6 · WindsorC
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