Early look The full preview opens on Saturday 20 February, 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 Minnesota Wild: game preview

Puck drop23 Feb · 8:00 PM ET
VenueGrand Casino Arena
All-time meetings38 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Six points apart last season

Pittsburgh finished last season 10th in the league on 98 points. Minnesota finished 7th on 104.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 39

Across 38 completed games, Pittsburgh lead the head-to-head 21-15-2.

All-time record21-15-2Pittsburgh's record in the series
Meetings played38This is number 39
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Minnesota
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
21 Nov 2025MIN 5 – PIT 0——MIN
30 Oct 2025PIT 4 – MIN 1——PIT
9 Mar 2025PIT 3 – MIN 1——PIT
29 Oct 2024MIN 5 – PIT 3——MIN
9 Feb 2024PIT 2 – MIN 3——MIN
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DatePittsburghMinnesota
30 Oct 20258-2-2 · 18 pts1st3-6-3 · 9 pts29th
21 Nov 202510-6-4 · 24 pts14th11-7-4 · 26 pts8th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 30 Oct 2025, Pittsburgh were 1st in the league and Minnesota 29th. By 21 Nov 2025 it was 14th and 8th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Minnesota out-attempted Pittsburgh 110 to 109

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

Pittsburgh Penguins

109 att · 53 on goal · 4 G · 7.5%
Crease9 att · 1 G
Slot37 att · 1 G
Wing45 att · 1 G
Point15 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 1 G

Minnesota Wild

110 att · 48 on goal · 6 G · 12.5%
Crease9 att · 2 G
Slot45 att · 4 G
Wing40 att · 0 G
Point14 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Pittsburgh and Minnesota 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.

PittsburghMinnesota
3.58xG for per game3.01
2.47xG against per game2.83
59.2%xG share51.5%
+4.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals−0.0
−0.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+3.5

This season: 3 games for Pittsburgh, 3 for Minnesota. 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 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

Minnesota

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2736.4%
Power play · 2025-2625.2% · 3rd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-27100.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.8% · 16th
Faceoffs · 2026-2748.0% · 84/175
Drawn · 2026-2711 (3.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/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
71Evgeni Malkin32241.33
18Tommy Novak32241.33
81Ben Kindel22131.50
97Kirill Kaprizov33031.00
20Blake Coleman31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
72Declan Carlile32241.33
65Erik Karlsson30441.33
49Samuel Girard31231.00
43Quinn Hughes31341.33
46Jared Spurgeon31231.00
3Olli Maatta30110.33
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 21 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 20 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Pittsburgh crease

PIT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 20 Feb

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

No appearances against Minnesota in the last meetings.

Minnesota crease

MIN · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 20 Feb

Jesper Wallstedt.9333 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.5

No appearances against Pittsburgh in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 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

21 Nov 20255 · MIN 5–0 PIT
30 Oct 20255 · PIT 4–1 MIN
9 Mar 20254 · PIT 3–1 MIN
29 Oct 20248 · MIN 5–3 PIT
9 Feb 20245 · PIT 2–3 MIN

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
Minnesota3.001.673.322.93

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 suggest6.5Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

6 on the injury lists

Pittsburgh · injuries

Bryan RustUpper BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Justin BrazeauLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ryan GravesKneeIRReturn24 Oct

Minnesota · injuries

Brock FaberSkullIRReturn15 Oct
Filip GustavssonHipIRReturn1 Nov
Nick FolignoUpper 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.

24 Sep · MIN

Waived for the purpose of assignment to Iowa (AHL) Ds Matt Kiersted, Carson Lambos, and Roman Schmidt and Fs Caedan Bankier, Dylan Gambrell, Justin Kirkland, Tyler Pitlick, and Mason Shaw. Assigned Ds Ben Dexheimer and Viking Gustafsson Nyberg and Fs Jagger Joshua, Hunter Haight, Riley Heidt, Rasmus Kumpulainen, and Rieger Lorenz to Iowa.

14 Jul 2026 · MIN

Signed G Filip Ruzicka to a three-year, entry-level contract.

13 Jul 2026 · MIN

Signed D Filip Ruzicka 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
#83Adam AnderssonRound 3 · Leksand Jr.C
#112Kayden LemireRound 4 · Prince GeorgeRW
#137Filip RuzickaRound 5 · BrandonG
Full draft

Updated after every final