Pittsburgh Penguins at Ottawa Senators: game preview
PittsburghPenguins2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 41-25-16 · 98 pts · 10that
OttawaSenators2026-27: 2-1-0 · 4 pts · 2025-26: 44-27-11 · 99 pts · 9thOne points apart last season
Pittsburgh finished last season 10th in the league on 98 points. Ottawa finished 9th on 99.
Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.
Meeting number 152
Across 151 completed games, Pittsburgh lead the head-to-head 87-47-17.
Last 5 meetings
See all: Last 5 meetings →The table on each 2025-26 meeting night
League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 18 Dec 2025, Pittsburgh were 19th in the league and Ottawa 22nd. By 26 Mar 2026 it was 9th and 12th.
Ottawa out-attempted Pittsburgh 180 to 175
Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Ottawa Senators
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.
This season: 3 games for Pittsburgh, 3 for Ottawa. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.
Last 10 games: 10 games for Pittsburgh, 10 for Ottawa.
2025-26: 82 games for Pittsburgh, 82 for Ottawa.
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 sampleOttawa
Small sampleSkaters to watch
Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.
Who has stopped this matchup
Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.
Expected starter after their game on 29 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Expected starter after their game on 29 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.
Pittsburgh crease
PIT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 28 Dec
No appearances against Ottawa in the last meetings.
Ottawa crease
OTT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 28 Dec
No appearances against Pittsburgh in the last meetings.
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
Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.
Scoring rates
Pittsburgh5.002.673.573.27
Ottawa3.332.673.393.00Goals 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.
9 on the injury lists
Pittsburgh · injuries
Ottawa · injuries
Latest moves
See all: Latest moves →Activated C/RW Benjamin Kindel from injured reserve. Placed C/LW David Gustafsson on waivers.
Assigned F Rutger McGroarty to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).
Reinstated C Blake Lizotte from injured reserve.
Recalled G Marcus Johansson from Belleville (AHL). Assigned D Donovan Sebrango to Belleville.
Recalled D Donovan Sebrango from Belleville (AHL). Placed LW Andre Burakovsky on injured reserve.
Loaned D Hoyt Stanley to Belleville (AHL).
Pittsburgh · 2026 draft
See all: Pittsburgh · 2026 draft →Ottawa · 2026 draft
See all: Ottawa · 2026 draft →
Updated after every final