Early look · NHL 2026-27

New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins: game preview

New JerseyDevils2026-27: 1-2-0 · 2 pts · 2025-26: 42-37-3 · 87 pts · 21stat

PittsburghPenguins2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 41-25-16 · 98 pts · 10th

Puck drop5 Dec · 3:00 PM ET

VenuePPG Paints Arena

All-time meetings272 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Eleven points apart last season

New Jersey finished last season 21st in the league on 87 points. Pittsburgh finished 10th on 98, and the 2025-26 season series went PIT 3-0-1.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 273

Across 272 completed games, New Jersey lead the head-to-head 144-110-18.

All-time record144-110-18New Jersey's record in the series

Meetings played272This is number 273

2025-26 seriesPIT 3-0-1

Last 54-1Pittsburgh

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

9 Apr 2026PIT 5 – NJD 2——PIT

26 Feb 2026NJD 1 – PIT 4——PIT

8 Jan 2026NJD 1 – PIT 4——PIT

8 Nov 2025PIT 1 – NJD 2 SO——NJD

11 Apr 2025PIT 4 – NJD 2——PIT

Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNew JerseyPittsburgh

8 Nov 202511-4-0 · 22 pts2nd9-4-3 · 21 pts5th

8 Jan 202622-20-2 · 46 pts21st21-12-9 · 51 pts10th

26 Feb 202627-23-2 · 56 pts20th26-14-11 · 63 pts8th

9 Apr 202640-36-3 · 83 pts22nd41-22-16 · 98 pts8th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 8 Nov 2025, New Jersey were 2nd in the league and Pittsburgh 5th. By 9 Apr 2026 it was 22nd and 8th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Pittsburgh out-attempted New Jersey 261 to 223

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

New Jersey Devils

223 att · 104 on goal · 5 G · 4.8%

Crease19 att · 2 G

Slot87 att · 1 G

Wing79 att · 1 G

Point31 att · 1 G

Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

Pittsburgh Penguins

261 att · 130 on goal · 14 G · 10.8%

Crease19 att · 1 G

Slot114 att · 6 G

Wing78 att · 4 G

Point37 att · 2 G

Neutral zone13 att · 1 G

GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

New Jersey 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.

New JerseyPittsburgh

3.52xG for per game3.58

3.01xG against per game2.47

53.9%xG share59.2%

−4.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+4.3

−4.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.6

This season: 3 games for New Jersey, 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

New Jersey

Small sample

Power play · 2026-277.1%

Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th

Power play · last 5 meetings—

Penalty kill · 2026-2762.5%

Penalty kill · 2025-2679.3% · 17th

Faceoffs · 2026-2747.5% · 87/183

Drawn · 2026-2714 (4.67/gm)

Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/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.

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 →

New Jersey

Expected starter after their game on 3 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Pittsburgh

Expected starter after their game on 2 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 2 Dec

Jake Allen.8752 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.7

Nico Daws.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Pittsburgh in the last meetings.

Pittsburgh crease

PIT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 2 Dec

Arturs Silovs.8862 GP · 2-0-0 · GSAx −0.5

Sergei Murashov.9121 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −0.5

No appearances against New Jersey 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

9 Apr 20267 · PIT 5–2 NJD

26 Feb 20265 · NJD 1–4 PIT

8 Jan 20265 · NJD 1–4 PIT

8 Nov 20253 · PIT 1–2 NJD

11 Apr 20256 · PIT 4–2 NJD

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA

New Jersey2.004.332.803.10

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 meetings5.2Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct

Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct

Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct

Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan

Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov

Pittsburgh · injuries

Bryan RustUpper BodyIRReturn7 Oct

Justin BrazeauLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct

Ryan GravesKneeIRReturn24 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.

25 Sep · NJD

Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.

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

New Jersey · 2026 draft

See all: New Jersey · 2026 draft →

#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C

#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW

#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D

#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C

Full draft

Pittsburgh · 2026 draft

See all: Pittsburgh · 2026 draft →

#22Liam RuckRound 1 · Medicine HatRW

#39Markus RuckRound 2 · Medicine HatC

#54Tomas GalvasRound 2 · LiberecD

#86Pierce MbuyiRound 3 · Owen SoundLW

Full draft

Saturday 5 December · the full slate

See all: Saturday 5 December · the full slate →

PITThis game 3:30 PM ET

Updated after every final

New Jersey Devils at Pittsburgh Penguins: game preview

Eleven points apart last season

Meeting number 273

Last 5 meetings

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

Pittsburgh out-attempted New Jersey 261 to 223

New Jersey Devils

Pittsburgh Penguins

New Jersey have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

New Jersey

Pittsburgh

Skaters to watch

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

Who has stopped this matchup

New Jersey crease

Pittsburgh crease

Scoring rates point to about 6.5 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

8 on the injury lists

New Jersey · injuries

Pittsburgh · injuries

Latest moves

New Jersey · 2026 draft

Pittsburgh · 2026 draft

Saturday 5 December · the full slate