Puck drop: 7:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. CT)
Venue: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TV: SN-PIT / SportsNet Pittsburgh (Penguins), SCRIPPS (Predators local); ESPN+ (out-of-market)
This is the first of two meetings this season (return game in Nashville on Nov. 21). Pittsburgh holds a strong recent edge, including a nine-game point streak vs. Nashville (7-0-2) dating to April 2022 and six straight home wins against the Predators.
Injury Reports
Nashville Predators:
William Trudeau (D, upper body) — out (IR; expected return around Oct. 27).
Mavrik Bourque recently returned from upper-body injury. Justus Annunen is available after earlier IR time. Minimal absences otherwise.
Pittsburgh Penguins:
Evgeni Malkin (C, illness) — out (will not play Saturday).
Bryan Rust (RW, lower body) — out (IR; re-evaluated in ~6 weeks).
Samuel Girard (D, undisclosed/lower body) — out (IR).
Ryan Graves (D, knee/lower body) — out (IR, longer-term).
Trevor van Riemsdyk (D, lower body), Justin Brazeau (RW, lower body), Ben Kindel (C, undisclosed/vasovagal), Egor Chinakhov (RW, lower body) — out (various IR/DTD).
Several depth forwards and defensemen sidelined; Crosby and Karlsson remain key anchors.
Projected Lineups / Current Rosters
Predators (Coach: Andrew Brunette):
Forwards: Steven Stamkos – Ryan O’Reilly – Matthew Wood; Filip Forsberg – Mavrik Bourque – Jonathan Marchessault; Ross Colton – Alexander Kerfoot – Nils Hoglander; Reid Schaefer – Jack Drury – Adam Edstrom.
Defense: Roman Josi – Adam Wilsby; Nicolas Hague – Jayden Struble; Brady Skjei – Nick Perbix.
Goalies: Juuse Saros (projected starter; strong career numbers vs. PIT) with Justus Annunen as backup.
Scratches expected: Jack Ahcan, Vitali Pinchuk, Ilya Lyubushkin.
nhl.com
Penguins (Coach: Dan Muse):
Forwards: Tommy Novak – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell; Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Nick Robertson; Andrei Kuzmenko – Blake Lizotte – Rutger McGroarty; Elmer Soderblom – Connor Dewar – Avery Hayes.
Defense: Spencer Stastney – Erik Karlsson; Declan Carlile – Kaedan Korczak; Ilya Solovyov – Kris Letang.
Goalies: Arturs Silovs (projected starter after recent shutout) with Sergei Murashov as backup.
Scratches: Chase Pietila (and others due to injuries).
Key Predators: Forsberg (playmaking), Stamkos, O’Reilly, Josi (team assists leader), Marchessault. Strong PP (~26-28%).
Key Penguins: Crosby, Karlsson (high points recently), Rakell, Robertson (recent multi-goal game), Letang. Offense more productive early (~3.2-3.4 GF/GP).
Recent Team Forms
Predators (last stretch includes 1-2-2): Coming off a 6-0 shutout loss at Boston (Annunen started). Mixed results with shootout losses and wins. Offense has been quiet (around 2.5-2.6 GF/GP, lower ranks); defense middling (~2.9-3.1 GA/GP). Excellent PP ranking high league-wide; solid PK. Road record 1-1-2. Looking for a bounce-back response.
Penguins (recent: ended skid with 4-0 shutout of Florida): Overall 4-6-1 with home strength (3-1-0). Recent losses mixed with a SO win and the big shutout (Robertson two goals). Higher scoring but leakier defense (~3.3 GA/GP). Home PK strong in spots. Both teams sit at 9 points.
Team comparison: Predators edge special teams (especially PP); Penguins have more offensive output and home ice plus historical dominance in the matchup. Faceoffs favor neither strongly.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Filip Forsberg / Steven Stamkos vs. Erik Karlsson / Kris Letang: Nashville’s top scorers against Pittsburgh’s veteran mobile defense. Karlsson has been producing points; limiting transition is key.
Sidney Crosby vs. Roman Josi / Predators D: Crosby’s two-way excellence and faceoff ability against Josi’s all-situations play and point production from the blue line.
Goaltending: Juuse Saros vs. Arturs Silovs: Saros is the more established, high-volume starter with solid career numbers vs. PIT. Silovs has shown promise (recent shutout) but less proven.
Special teams: Predators’ high-powered PP vs. Penguins’ home PK structure. Both capable on the other side.
Depth: Penguins missing Malkin and several others forces younger/recalled players (Robertson, McGroarty, Hayes) into bigger roles; Predators more intact up front.
Series History
First meeting of 2026-27. Pittsburgh dominates recent H2H: nine-game point streak (7-0-2), six straight home wins, and points in 15 of last 17 overall. Nashville is 0-4-1 in its last five at PPG Paints Arena and 3-5-2 in the last 10 meetings. All-time series is closer but favors Pittsburgh on the road for Nashville.
Betting Trends
Penguins strong historically vs. this opponent and solid at home. Predators struggling for consistency and coming off a blowout. Models give Pittsburgh a modest edge (~54-55% win probability). Public often sides with the home side in such spots.
Game Odds
Nashville Predators 6.5
Pittsburgh Penguins – 118
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, October 23, 2026
