Early look The full preview opens on Sunday 8 November, 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 San Jose Sharks: game preview

Puck drop11 Nov · 10:00 PM ET
VenueSAP Center at San Jose
All-time meetings60 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twelve points apart last season

Pittsburgh finished last season 10th in the league on 98 points. San Jose finished 24th on 86.

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

Head-to-head

Meeting number 61

Across 60 completed games, Pittsburgh lead the head-to-head 30-22-8.

All-time record30-22-8Pittsburgh's record in the series
Meetings played60This is number 61
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Pittsburgh
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
13 Dec 2025SJS 6 – PIT 5 OT——SJS
18 Oct 2025PIT 3 – SJS 0——PIT
27 Jan 2025PIT 1 – SJS 2——SJS
16 Nov 2024SJS 3 – PIT 4 SO——PIT
14 Mar 2024SJS 3 – PIT 6——PIT
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DatePittsburghSan Jose
18 Oct 20254-2-0 · 8 pts9th0-3-2 · 2 pts31st
13 Dec 202514-8-8 · 36 pts15th16-14-3 · 35 pts19th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 18 Oct 2025, Pittsburgh were 9th in the league and San Jose 31st. By 13 Dec 2025 it was 15th and 19th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

San Jose out-attempted Pittsburgh 138 to 129

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

Pittsburgh Penguins

129 att · 70 on goal · 8 G · 11.4%
Crease14 att · 1 G
Slot49 att · 5 G
Wing38 att · 1 G
Point20 att · 0 G
Neutral zone8 att · 1 G

San Jose Sharks

138 att · 62 on goal · 6 G · 9.7%
Crease12 att · 2 G
Slot63 att · 2 G
Wing44 att · 1 G
Point17 att · 1 G
Neutral zone2 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.

PittsburghSan Jose
3.58xG for per game2.13
2.47xG against per game3.72
59.2%xG share36.4%
+4.3FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.6
−0.6GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.8

This season: 3 games for Pittsburgh, 3 for San Jose. 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

San Jose

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2725.0%
Power play · 2025-2621.2% · 16th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.4% · 26th
Faceoffs · 2026-2744.4% · 72/162
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/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
71Evgeni Malkin32241.33
18Tommy Novak32241.33
81Ben Kindel22131.50
2Will Smith32131.00
92Igor Chernyshov32131.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
72Declan Carlile32241.33
65Erik Karlsson30441.33
49Samuel Girard31231.00
42Luca Cagnoni31120.67
5Nolan Allan21010.50
65Jacob Trouba30110.33
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 8 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

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

Pittsburgh crease

PIT · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 8 Nov

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

No appearances against San Jose in the last meetings.

San Jose crease

SJS · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 8 Nov

Yaroslav Askarov.8623 GP · 2-1-0 · GSAx −0.8

No appearances against Pittsburgh in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.8 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

13 Dec 202511 · SJS 6–5 PIT
18 Oct 20253 · PIT 3–0 SJS
27 Jan 20253 · PIT 1–2 SJS
16 Nov 20247 · SJS 3–4 PIT
14 Mar 20249 · SJS 3–6 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
San Jose3.004.003.063.56

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 suggest6.8Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.6Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Pittsburgh · injuries

Bryan RustUpper BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Justin BrazeauLower BodyIRReturn7 Oct
Ryan GravesKneeIRReturn24 Oct

San Jose · injuries

Adam GaudetteUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Alex Barre-BouletUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Cam LundUpper BodyIRReturn19 Oct
Kyle KeyserUpper BodyIRReturn1 Dec
Macklin CelebriniLower BodyDay-to-dayReturn8 Oct
Quentin MustyUpper BodyIRReturn1 Dec
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.

4 Oct · SJS

Placed C Patrick Giles on waivers.

27 Sep · SJS

Placed G Ilya Samsonov on waivers.

23 Sep · SJS

Placed RW Ethan Cardwell, D Libor Hajek and LW Tye Felhaber on waivers.

Injury report
#22Liam RuckRound 1 · Medicine HatRW
#39Markus RuckRound 2 · Medicine HatC
#54Tomas GalvasRound 2 · LiberecD
#86Pierce MbuyiRound 3 · Owen SoundLW
Full draft
#2Ivar StenbergRound 1 · FrolundaLW
#9Keaton VerhoeffRound 1 · North DakotaD
#21Ryan LinRound 1 · VancouverD
#127Brady KnowlingRound 4 · Usa U-18G
Full draft

Updated after every final