Early look The full preview opens on Saturday 6 March, 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

Ottawa Senators at Pittsburgh Penguins: game preview

Puck drop9 Mar · 7:00 PM ET
VenuePPG Paints Arena
All-time meetings151 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

One points apart last season

Ottawa finished last season 9th in the league on 99 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 152

Across 151 completed games, Pittsburgh lead the head-to-head 87-47-17.

All-time record87-47-17Pittsburgh's record in the series
Meetings played151This is number 152
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Ottawa
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
26 Mar 2026PIT 4 – OTT 3 SO——PIT
2 Feb 2026OTT 3 – PIT 2——OTT
18 Dec 2025PIT 0 – OTT 4——OTT
30 Mar 2025OTT 0 – PIT 1 OT——PIT
11 Jan 2025OTT 5 – PIT 0——OTT
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateOttawaPittsburgh
18 Dec 202516-13-4 · 36 pts22nd14-10-9 · 37 pts19th
2 Feb 202624-21-7 · 55 pts25th26-14-11 · 63 pts8th
26 Mar 202638-24-10 · 86 pts12th36-20-16 · 88 pts9th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 18 Dec 2025, Ottawa were 22nd in the league and Pittsburgh 19th. By 26 Mar 2026 it was 12th and 9th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Ottawa out-attempted Pittsburgh 180 to 175

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

Ottawa Senators

180 att · 86 on goal · 10 G · 11.6%
Crease21 att · 6 G
Slot65 att · 2 G
Wing69 att · 2 G
Point17 att · 0 G
Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

Pittsburgh Penguins

175 att · 81 on goal · 5 G · 6.2%
Crease20 att · 1 G
Slot68 att · 1 G
Wing55 att · 3 G
Point26 att · 0 G
Neutral zone6 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Ottawa 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.

OttawaPittsburgh
2.95xG for per game3.58
3.41xG against per game2.47
46.4%xG share59.2%
+1.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals+4.3
+2.2GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.6

This season: 3 games for Ottawa, 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

Ottawa

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.7%
Power play · 2025-2624.0% · 8th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2776.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2675.7% · 29th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.7% · 99/188
Drawn · 2026-2713 (4.33/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/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
18Tim Stützle33362.00
22Michael Amadio32131.00
19Drake Batherson32131.00
71Evgeni Malkin32241.33
18Tommy Novak32241.33
81Ben Kindel22131.50
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
72Thomas Chabot31120.67
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 7 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 7 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Ottawa crease

OTT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Mar

Linus Ullmark.9492 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx +3.4
Samuel Ersson.8862 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.9

No appearances against Pittsburgh in the last meetings.

Pittsburgh crease

PIT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Mar

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

No appearances against Ottawa 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 5 meetings

26 Mar 20267 · PIT 4–3 OTT
2 Feb 20265 · OTT 3–2 PIT
18 Dec 20254 · PIT 0–4 OTT
30 Mar 20251 · OTT 0–1 PIT
11 Jan 20255 · OTT 5–0 PIT

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Ottawa3.332.673.393.00
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 meetings4.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Ottawa · injuries

Andre BurakovskyUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Artem ZubKneeIRReturn10 Oct
Blake MontgomeryUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Jake SandersonLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct
Kurtis MacDermidUpper BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Linus UllmarkUndisclosedOutReturn8 Oct

Pittsburgh · injuries

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

Recalled G Marcus Johansson from Belleville (AHL). Assigned D Donovan Sebrango to Belleville.

5 Oct · OTT

Recalled D Donovan Sebrango from Belleville (AHL). Placed LW Andre Burakovsky on injured reserve.

2 Oct · OTT

Loaned D Hoyt Stanley to Belleville (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
#25Jonas Lagerberg HoenRound 1 · Leksand Jr.RW
#32Jaxon CoverRound 1 · LondonRW
#72Adam NemecRound 3 · SudburyLW
#87Oscar HolmertzRound 3 · Linkoping Jr.C
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