Puck Drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TV/Streaming: Prime Video / ESPN+ (also SN-PIT regionally)
The Dallas Stars head to Pittsburgh riding consecutive shutout wins and strong goaltending from Jake Oettinger. The Penguins look to snap a three-game skid (0-2-1) on the second half of a back-to-back after a shootout loss in Columbus the previous night.
Current Projected Rosters / Line Combinations
Dallas Stars
Forwards
Sam Steel – Wyatt Johnston – Mikko Rantanen
Jason Robertson – Roope Hintz – Jamie Benn
Justin Hryckowian – Arttu Hyry – Tyler Seguin
Oskar Bäck – Radek Faksa – Colin Blackwell Defense
Esa Lindell – Miro Heiskanen
Thomas Harley – Nils Lundkvist
Lian Bichsel – Tyler Myers Goaltenders
Projected starter: Jake Oettinger (excellent early form with consecutive shutouts; Casey DeSmith as backup).
Pittsburgh Penguins
Forwards
Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust
Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin
Hendrix Lapierre – Ben Kindel – Ville Koivunen
Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Nick Robertson Defense
Declan Carlile – Erik Karlsson
Samuel Girard – Kaedan Korczak
Trevor van Riemsdyk – Kris Letang Goaltenders
Projected starter: Arturs Silovs (likely after recent usage; Sergei Murashov as option).
Injury / Availability Reports
Stars
Matt Duchene (C, lower body) — LTIR / out until at least late October.
Joel Kiviranta (LW, lower body) — Out until at least Oct. 13.
Cameron Hughes (C, upper body) — IR.
Harrison Scott (undisclosed) — IR non-roster.
Penguins
Justin Brazeau (RW, lower body) — IR.
Ryan Graves (D, lower body/knee) — IR; out indefinitely.
Andrei Kuzmenko (LW, personal) — Out / non-roster.
Bryan Rust (RW, upper body) — Day-to-day (has been playing recently).
Recent Team Forms
Stars (2-2-0): Strong rebound. Losses to St. Louis (0-4) and at Nashville (1-2), followed by consecutive shutouts: 5-0 vs. San Jose and 4-0 at Buffalo (Mikko Rantanen with a goal and three assists in the latter). Elite early defense and goaltending (league-low ~1.50 GA/G). Road record 1-1-0.
Penguins (2-2-1): High-scoring start that has cooled. Wins at Philadelphia (7-0) and vs. Montreal (6-5 OT); then losses vs. Winnipeg (2-3), at Washington (3-5), and shootout loss at Columbus (2-3). Strong power play and PK early, but on a three-game slide and playing the second night of a back-to-back. Home record 1-1-0.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Mikko Rantanen / Wyatt Johnston / Jason Robertson / Roope Hintz vs. Penguins defense (Karlsson, Letang): Dallas’s high-end skill and depth against Pittsburgh’s veteran blue line.
Sidney Crosby / Evgeni Malkin / Bryan Rust vs. Miro Heiskanen / Thomas Harley-led defense: Penguins’ star centers testing one of the league’s better early defensive groups.
Special teams: Penguins’ strong early PP (~27%) vs. Stars’ stingy structure and Oettinger’s form.
Goaltending: Oettinger’s elite early numbers (consecutive shutouts, career success vs. Pittsburgh) vs. Silovs.
Faceoffs (Stars strong early) and transition will be important factors.
Series History
Dallas holds a recent edge, winning the last several meetings and taking both games last season. Overall history is competitive (Stars roughly even or slightly behind all-time in some counts, but strong recent road success at PPG Paints Arena). First meeting of 2026-27.
Betting Trends
Dallas is a road favorite reflecting form, goaltending, and Pittsburgh’s back-to-back. Models generally favor the Stars in the 53-59% range.
Game Odds
Dallas Stars – 177
Pittsburgh Penguins 6.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, October 9, 2026
