Early look The full preview opens on Monday 8 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

Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins: game preview

Puck drop11 Mar · 7:30 PM ET
VenuePPG Paints Arena
All-time meetings260 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Two points apart last season

Boston finished last season 8th in the league on 100 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 261

Across 260 completed games, Boston lead the head-to-head 161-83-16.

All-time record161-83-16Boston's record in the series
Meetings played260This is number 261
2025-26 series—
Last 54-1Boston
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
8 Mar 2026BOS 4 – PIT 5 OT——PIT
3 Mar 2026PIT 1 – BOS 2——BOS
11 Jan 2026PIT 0 – BOS 1——BOS
13 Apr 2025BOS 4 – PIT 1——BOS
1 Mar 2025BOS 3 – PIT 2——BOS
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateBostonPittsburgh
11 Jan 202625-19-2 · 52 pts13th21-14-9 · 51 pts15th
3 Mar 202630-20-3 · 63 pts10th26-14-11 · 63 pts8th
8 Mar 202630-20-3 · 63 pts10th26-14-11 · 63 pts8th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 11 Jan 2026, Boston were 13th in the league and Pittsburgh 15th. By 8 Mar 2026 it was 10th and 8th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Pittsburgh out-attempted Boston 205 to 182

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

Boston Bruins

182 att · 75 on goal · 7 G · 9.3%
Crease12 att · 1 G
Slot64 att · 4 G
Wing73 att · 2 G
Point25 att · 0 G
Neutral zone8 att · 0 G

Pittsburgh Penguins

205 att · 102 on goal · 6 G · 5.9%
Crease20 att · 0 G
Slot71 att · 4 G
Wing75 att · 1 G
Point36 att · 1 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Pittsburgh 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.

BostonPittsburgh
2.87xG for per game3.58
3.13xG against per game2.47
47.8%xG share59.2%
−2.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+4.3
+1.5GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.6

This season: 4 games for Boston, 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

Boston

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.4% · 9th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2772.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.0% · 24th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.4% · 117/232
Drawn · 2026-2710 (2.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2711 (2.75/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
47Mark Kastelic41230.75
10JJ Peterka42020.50
44James Hagens42020.50
71Evgeni Malkin32241.33
18Tommy Novak32241.33
81Ben Kindel22131.50
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
27Hampus Lindholm41120.50
91Nikita Zadorov40220.50
6Mason Lohrei40220.50
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 10 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 9 Mar: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Boston crease

BOS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 8 Mar

Jeremy Swayman.9143 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx +1.4
Michael DiPietro.8971 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.7

No appearances against Pittsburgh in the last meetings.

Pittsburgh crease

PIT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 8 Mar

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

No appearances against Boston 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

8 Mar 20269 · BOS 4–5 PIT
3 Mar 20263 · PIT 1–2 BOS
11 Jan 20261 · PIT 0–1 BOS
13 Apr 20255 · BOS 4–1 PIT
1 Mar 20255 · BOS 3–2 PIT

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Boston2.252.753.323.05
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 suggest6.5Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings4.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

4 on the injury lists

Boston · injuries

Charlie McAvoySuspensionOutReturn13 Oct

Pittsburgh · injuries

Bryan RustUpper BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Justin BrazeauLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ryan GravesKneeIRReturn24 Oct
5 Oct · BOS

Reinstated C Matthew Poitras from injured reserve.

4 Oct · BOS

Placed RW Michael Eyssimont on waivers.

27 Sep · BOS

Placed D Henri Jokiharju on waivers. Placed C Matthew Poitras on injured reserve.

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
#56Yuri IvanovRound 2 · Spartak Jr.G
#88Nils BartholdssonRound 3 · Rogle Jr.RW
#104Matvei KotkovRound 4 · Yaroslavl Jr.RW
#122Oscar OlssonRound 4 · Orebro Jr.LW
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