Early look · NHL 2026-27

Pittsburgh Penguins at Montréal Canadiens: game preview

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

MontréalCanadiens2026-27: 1-1-1 · 3 pts · 2025-26: 48-24-10 · 106 pts · 6th

Puck drop9 Jan · 7:00 PM ET

VenueCentre Bell

All-time meetings253 completed

BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26

The thesis

Eight points apart last season

Pittsburgh finished last season 10th in the league on 98 points. Montréal finished 6th on 106, and the 2025-26 season series went MTL 2-0-1.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 254

Across 253 completed games, Montréal lead the head-to-head 155-73-24.

All-time record155-73-24Montréal's record in the series

Meetings played253This is number 254

2025-26 seriesMTL 2-0-1

Last 53-2Pittsburgh

Last 5 meetings

See all: Last 5 meetings →

DateResultShotsPower playWinner

3 OctMTL 5 – PIT 6 OT25–30MTL 0/2 · PIT 2/4PIT

21 Dec 2025MTL 3 – PIT 4 SO25–31MTL 0/2 · PIT 1/3PIT

20 Dec 2025PIT 0 – MTL 431–21PIT 0/3 · MTL 1/1MTL

11 Dec 2025MTL 4 – PIT 229–38MTL 1/4 · PIT 1/6MTL

12 Dec 2024PIT 9 – MTL 233–23PIT 2/3 · MTL 0/4PIT

Head-to-head finder

The table on each meeting night

DatePittsburghMontréal

11 Dec 202514-8-7 · 35 pts14th16-11-3 · 35 pts15th

20 Dec 202514-11-9 · 37 pts20th19-12-4 · 42 pts9th

21 Dec 202515-11-9 · 39 pts20th19-12-5 · 43 pts8th

3 Oct2-0-0 · 4 pts5th1-0-1 · 3 pts10th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 11 Dec 2025, Pittsburgh were 14th in the league and Montréal 15th. By 3 Oct it was 5th and 10th.

Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Pittsburgh out-attempted Montréal 343 to 274

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

Pittsburgh Penguins

343 att · 163 on goal · 20 G · 12.3%

Crease34 att · 3 G

Slot135 att · 11 G

Wing120 att · 5 G

Point48 att · 1 G

Neutral zone6 att · 0 G

Montréal Canadiens

274 att · 123 on goal · 18 G · 14.6%

Crease16 att · 0 G

Slot115 att · 12 G

Wing95 att · 5 G

Point34 att · 0 G

Neutral zone14 att · 1 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.

PittsburghMontréal

3.58xG for per game2.61

2.47xG against per game3.61

59.2%xG share42.0%

+4.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals+4.2

−0.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−3.2

This season: 3 games for Pittsburgh, 3 for Montréal. 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 meetings6/19 · 31.6%

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 meetings19 (3.80/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-276 (2.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings6

Montréal

Small sample

Power play · 2026-2710.0%

Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 10th

Power play · last 5 meetings2/13 · 15.4%

Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%

Penalty kill · 2025-2678.2% · 18th

Faceoffs · 2026-2753.9% · 96/178

Drawn · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)

Drawn · last meetings13 (2.60/gm)

Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)

PP goals · last meetings2

Skaters

Bryan Rust has 7 points in the last 5 meetings

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away, then who has produced in the last meetings.

In the last meetings

See all: In the last meetings →

PlayerGPGAPSOG

17Bryan Rust443716

67Rickard Rakell434715

14Nick Suzuki525713

87Sidney Crosby516717

58Kris Letang515610

48Lane Hutson50669

13Cole Caufield532510

93Ivan Demidov42355

20Juraj Slafkovský51454

91Oliver Kapanen322411

Head-to-head finder

Bryan Rust vs Montréal · game by game

See all: Bryan Rust vs Montréal · game by game →

DateVenueGAPSOGTOI

21 Dec 2025home011221:36

20 Dec 2025away000321:02

11 Dec 2025home112525:35

12 Dec 2024away314615:43

Last 5 meetings7 P4 G, 3 A · 16 SOG

Next best7 PRickard Rakell, PIT

2025-26 season65 P72 GP · 29 G

Blank vs MTL1 of 4

Full game log

Goaltending

Jakub Dobes has started most of these meetings

Jakub Dobes played 2 of the last 5 meetings with Pittsburgh, with a .852 save percentage. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Pittsburgh

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

Montréal

Expected starter after their game on 6 Jan: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Arturs Silovs

See all: Arturs Silovs →

PIT · 2-0-0 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Jan

SV% · 2026-27.8862 GP · 2.47 GAA · 2025-26 .888

vs Montréal.8402 app · 50 SA · 8 GA

GSAx · 2026-27−0.52 starts · most on the roster

vs MTLVenueSAGASV%

3 Octhome255.800

21 Dec 2025home253.880

Also on the roster, 2026-27: Sergei Murashov .912 (1 GP)

Full game log

Jakub Dobes

See all: Jakub Dobes →

MTL · 1-1-1 in 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Jan

SV% · 2026-27.8573 GP · 4.43 GAA · 2025-26 .901

vs Pittsburgh.8522 app · 61 SA · 9 GA

GSAx · 2026-27−3.03 starts · most on the roster

vs PITVenueSAGASV%

3 Octaway306.800

21 Dec 2025away313.903

Full game log

Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.9 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

3 Oct11 · MTL 5–6 PIT

21 Dec 20257 · MTL 3–4 PIT

20 Dec 20254 · PIT 0–4 MTL

11 Dec 20256 · MTL 4–2 PIT

12 Dec 202411 · PIT 9–2 MTL

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

Montréal4.004.673.453.12

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 suggest6.9Goals in this game

Last 5 meetings7.8Goals per game

Line—No total posted yet

Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

Pittsburgh · injuries

Bryan RustUpper BodyIRReturn7 Oct

Justin BrazeauLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct

Ryan GravesKneeIRReturn24 Oct

Montréal · injuries

Bryce PickfordUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct

Ivan DemidovLower BodyIRReturn31 Oct

Kaiden GuhleGroinIRReturn20 Oct

Lucas CondottaUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Oliver KapanenLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct

Latest moves

See all: Latest moves →

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.

27 Sep · MTL

Placed D Reilly Walsh, D Maksymilian Szuber, D Ethan Samson, C Sam Poulin, RW Sasha Pastujov, C Hunter McKown, G Kaapo Kähkönen, LW Brett Berard, and RW Alex Belzile on waivers for the purpose of loaning them to Laval (AHL).

12 Sep · MTL

Signed F Chris Kreider to a one-year contract.

9 Aug 2026 · MTL

Loaned F Vinzenz Rohrer to EV Zug (Switzerland).

Injury report

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

Montréal · 2026 draft

See all: Montréal · 2026 draft →

#26Gleb PugachyovRound 1 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.RW

#57Timofei RuntsoRound 2 · VictoriaD

#93Cooper CleavesRound 3 · DartmouthD

#117Brayden KlimpkeRound 4 · SaskatoonD

Full draft

Saturday 9 January · the full slate

See all: Saturday 9 January · the full slate →

MTLThis game 7:00 PM ET

Updated after every final

Pittsburgh Penguins at Montréal Canadiens: game preview

Eight points apart last season

Meeting number 254

Last 5 meetings

The table on each meeting night

Pittsburgh out-attempted Montréal 343 to 274

Pittsburgh Penguins

Montréal Canadiens

Pittsburgh have created the better chances, last 10 games

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

Pittsburgh

Montréal

Bryan Rust has 7 points in the last 5 meetings

Forwards to watch

Defencemen to watch

In the last meetings

Bryan Rust vs Montréal · game by game

Jakub Dobes has started most of these meetings

Arturs Silovs

Jakub Dobes

Scoring rates point to about 6.9 goals

Goals in the last 5 meetings

Scoring rates

8 on the injury lists

Pittsburgh · injuries

Montréal · injuries

Latest moves

Pittsburgh · 2026 draft

Montréal · 2026 draft

Saturday 9 January · the full slate