Early look The full preview opens on Tuesday 6 April, 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 Detroit Red Wings: game preview

Puck drop9 Apr · 7:00 PM ET
VenueLittle Caesars Arena
All-time meetings190 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Six points apart last season

Pittsburgh finished last season 10th in the league on 98 points. Detroit finished 16th on 92.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 191

Across 190 completed games, Pittsburgh lead the head-to-head 102-80-8.

All-time record102-80-8Pittsburgh's record in the series
Meetings played190This is number 191
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Pittsburgh
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
31 Mar 2026DET 1 – PIT 5——PIT
3 Jan 2026PIT 4 – DET 1——PIT
1 Jan 2026DET 3 – PIT 4 OT——PIT
31 Dec 2024PIT 2 – DET 4——DET
13 Nov 2024DET 3 – PIT 2 OT——DET
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DatePittsburghDetroit
1 Jan 202618-12-9 · 45 pts15th24-14-4 · 52 pts4th
3 Jan 202619-12-9 · 47 pts11th24-15-4 · 52 pts5th
31 Mar 202638-21-16 · 92 pts9th39-27-8 · 86 pts14th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 1 Jan 2026, Pittsburgh were 15th in the league and Detroit 4th. By 31 Mar 2026 it was 9th and 14th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Pittsburgh out-attempted Detroit 189 to 167

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

Pittsburgh Penguins

189 att · 94 on goal · 13 G · 13.8%
Crease10 att · 1 G
Slot75 att · 5 G
Wing76 att · 5 G
Point20 att · 1 G
Neutral zone8 att · 1 G

Detroit Red Wings

167 att · 62 on goal · 5 G · 8.1%
Crease5 att · 1 G
Slot72 att · 3 G
Wing60 att · 1 G
Point28 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Pittsburgh and Detroit 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.

PittsburghDetroit
3.58xG for per game3.23
2.47xG against per game2.85
59.2%xG share53.1%
+4.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals−2.7
−0.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+0.6

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

Detroit

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2622.6% · 12th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2761.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2677.1% · 23rd
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.6% · 97/181
Drawn · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2713 (4.33/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
93Alex DeBrincat32241.33
23Lucas Raymond30331.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
72Declan Carlile32241.33
65Erik Karlsson30441.33
49Samuel Girard31231.00
72Justin Faulk31120.67
53Moritz Seider30110.33
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 6 Apr: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

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

Pittsburgh crease

PIT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Apr

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

No appearances against Detroit in the last meetings.

Detroit crease

DET · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 6 Apr

John Gibson.9033 GP · 1-2-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Pittsburgh in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.4 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

31 Mar 20266 · DET 1–5 PIT
3 Jan 20265 · PIT 4–1 DET
1 Jan 20267 · DET 3–4 PIT
31 Dec 20246 · PIT 2–4 DET
13 Nov 20245 · DET 3–2 PIT

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
Detroit2.332.672.943.15

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 suggest6.4Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings5.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

10 on the injury lists

Pittsburgh · injuries

Bryan RustUpper BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Justin BrazeauLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ryan GravesKneeIRReturn24 Oct

Detroit · injuries

Carter BearUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Chase StillmanUndisclosedIRReturn9 Oct
J.T. CompherUndisclosedOutReturn9 Oct
Jacob Bernard-DockerUpper BodyIRReturn9 Oct
Marco KasperUpper BodyIRReturn20 Oct
Mason AppletonUndisclosedIRReturn13 Oct
Simon EdvinssonContract DisputeOutReturn10 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.

2 Oct · DET

Placed F Dylan Larkin on the non-roster injured reserve.

25 Sep · DET

Assigned Fs Ondrej Becher, Cameron Butler, Sheldon Dries, Noah Dower Nilsson, Dylan James, Jesse Kiiskinen, John Leonard, Sutter Muzzatti, Theo Rochette, Dominik Shine and Wilmer Skoog, Ds Ronnie Attard, Jacob Bryson, Shai Buium and William Lagesson and Gs Trey Augustine and Michal Postava to Grand Rapids (AHL).

20 Aug 2026 · DET

Acquired F Sutter Muzzatti from Nashville Predators for future considerations.

Injury report
#22Liam RuckRound 1 · Medicine HatRW
#39Markus RuckRound 2 · Medicine HatC
#54Tomas GalvasRound 2 · LiberecD
#86Pierce MbuyiRound 3 · Owen SoundLW
Full draft
#23Jeffrey (JP) HurlbertRound 1 · KamloopsLW
#47Victor PlanteRound 2 · Usa U-18LW
#79Michal OrsulakRound 3 · Prince AlbertG
#108Adam LevacRound 4 · PeterboroughC
Full draft

Updated after every final