PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+, SportsNet Pittsburgh, Scripps; Radio: 105.9 The X / Penguins app
The Penguins open a three-game homestand against a Panthers team playing the second half of a back-to-back after a 5-1 loss in Ottawa on Wednesday. Florida entered the night at 5-2-2 but fell to 5-3-2. Pittsburgh is looking to snap a four-game losing streak.
Injury Reports
Florida Panthers
G Jacob Markstrom: Upper-body, IR (expected out until at least ~Nov. 4; out 1-2 weeks).
LW Brad Marchand: Leg/knee, IR (out until at least ~Nov. 21).
C Aleksander Barkov: Lower-body/knee, long-term IR (out until at least ~Nov. 27; 6-8 week timeline earlier reported).
LW Jonah Gadjovich: Upper-body, IR (out until at least ~Nov. 28).
Pittsburgh Penguins
C Ben Kindel: Undisclosed (medical episode on team flight; hospitalized, out until at least ~Oct. 29; improving).
RW Bryan Rust: Lower-body, day-to-day.
D Samuel Girard: Undisclosed, day-to-day.
RW Justin Brazeau: Lower-body, out.
D Trevor van Riemsdyk: Lower-body, out.
D Ryan Graves: Knee, out (possible return ~Oct. 24).
Florida is missing its top center, a key winger, and its primary goalie. Pittsburgh is thin on the blue line and missing secondary scoring/forward depth.
Current Rosters & Projected Line Combinations
Florida Panthers (forwards)
Brady Tkachuk – Sam Bennett – Matthew Tkachuk
Carter Verhaeghe – Sam Reinhart – Lars Eller
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Sandis Vilmanis
Bokondji Imama – Cole Schwindt – Garnet Hathaway
Defense
Gustav Forsling – Aaron Ekblad
Niko Mikkola – Seth Jones
Dmitry Kulikov – Radko Gudas
Goaltenders: Akira Schmid (started Wednesday) or Cooper Black (AHL recall; possible NHL debut on the back-to-back). Markstrom is sidelined.
Pittsburgh Penguins (forwards, approximate recent combinations with absences)
Rickard Rakell / Egor Chinakhov – Sidney Crosby – (Bryan Rust DTD or fill-in)
Ville Koivunen / Andrei Kuzmenko – Tommy Novak / Evgeni Malkin
Various combinations involving Nick Robertson, Elmer Soderblom, Connor Dewar, Blake Lizotte (Kindel out)
Defense
Erik Karlsson with partners such as Declan Carlile or Spencer Stastney
Kris Letang pairings
Additional depth with Girard (DTD) status pending
Goaltenders: Arturs Silovs (more recent starts) or Sergei Murashov.
Key active contributors include the Tkachuk brothers and Seth Jones (strong early production) for Florida, and Crosby, Malkin, Karlsson (team points leader among defensemen with strong PP involvement), and Rakell for Pittsburgh.
Recent Team Forms
Panthers: Came into Wednesday on a three-game winning streak with high offensive output (including multi-goal outbursts and Brady Tkachuk’s recent hat-trick form). The 5-1 loss in Ottawa ended the streak; Florida generated limited offense (19 shots) and struggled with structure/faceoffs after an emotional return for Brady Tkachuk. Road record sits at 3-2-2. They average ~3.1 goals for and ~3.0 against. Special teams: PP ~20.8%, PK ~81.4%. High penalty totals early in the season.
Penguins: Four straight losses (allowing 5+ goals in each), including a road trip that ended with a 5-4 defeat in Utah. Home record is 2-1-0. They score ~3.2 goals per game but allow ~3.7. PP sits at a solid ~23.3%; PK ~80.8%. Erik Karlsson leads the team in points among defensemen and ranks high in PP production. Defense and goaltending have been inconsistent.
Series History
Pittsburgh has owned recent matchups. The Penguins went 3-0-0 against Florida in 2025-26 (outscoring them 19-9). They enter with points in six straight vs. the Panthers (4-0-2) and points in 26 of the last 33 meetings (19-7-7) dating back to December 2014. At home, Pittsburgh is 13-3-1 in its last 17 vs. Florida. Crosby and Malkin have historically strong point totals against the Panthers; Karlsson and Letang also fare well among defensemen in the matchup. This is the first meeting of the 2026-27 season.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Tkachuk brothers (Brady & Matthew) vs. Penguins top-six / Karlsson-led defense: Brady has been red-hot (7 goals, 11 points in 10 GP entering the Ottawa game; continued production there). Matthew leads Florida in points early. They will test Pittsburgh’s structure and Karlsson’s mobility.
Sidney Crosby / Evgeni Malkin vs. Florida’s middle-six and defense pairs (Forsling-Ekblad, Jones-Mikkola): Crosby (3G-3A early) and Malkin provide veteran playmaking. Florida’s missing Barkov elevates the importance of Bennett, Lundell, and Reinhart in matchups.
Erik Karlsson (PP quarterback) vs. Florida penalty kill: Karlsson’s early PP points and overall production make him a focal point. Florida’s PK has been solid but the team takes many penalties.
Goaltending: Inexperienced or backup options on both sides (possible Black debut or Schmid on short rest for FLA; Silovs/Murashov for PIT) could decide a high-event game.
Seth Jones’ early assist/point production and Florida’s physical bottom-six (Hathaway, Imama) add secondary layers.
Betting Trends
Pittsburgh has covered or performed well historically at home vs. Florida.
Recent games for both have trended high-scoring (Penguins allowing 5+ in losses; Panthers’ prior three wins featured 18 goals).
Florida on a back-to-back with travel and goalie uncertainty.
Penguins’ home record is positive early; road struggles have inflated the overall record.
Over has hit frequently in recent meetings and both teams’ recent games.
Game Odds
Florida Panthers 6.5
Pittsburgh Penguins – 113
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Wednesday, October 21, 2026
