Venue: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
Puck drop is scheduled for Sunday, November 8, 2026, 8:00 p.m. ET
TV/Streaming: ESPN+, SportsNet Pittsburgh (Penguins market), Prime Video (Ducks market/local)
This is the first meeting of the 2026-27 season. The Penguins are on the second night of a back-to-back after a 5-2 win at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, which snapped a four-game skid and featured multi-goal efforts from Sidney Crosby and Tommy Novak. The Ducks are riding a four-game winning streak with high-scoring performances, including a 5-3 win at Calgary. Anaheim has been strong overall but mixed at home.
Current Player Rosters / Projected Lineups
Penguins projected lineup (based on recent reports and prior game usage; subject to final confirmation):
Forwards: Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Evgeni Malkin; Tommy Novak – Ben Kindel – Egor Chinakhov (or similar); Ville Koivunen – Hendrix Lapierre – Justin Brazeau; Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Nick Robertson.
Defense: Spencer Stastney – Erik Karlsson; Samuel Girard – Kaedan Korczak; Declan Carlile – Kris Letang.
Goalies: Arturs Silovs (expected/likely on the back-to-back) / Sergei Murashov.
Key available talent includes Crosby, Malkin, Karlsson, Novak (hot recently), and Rakell.
Ducks projected lineup:
Forwards: Combinations featuring Leo Carlsson centered with Alex Killorn and Judd Caulfield (or similar top-line looks); Cutter Gauthier – Mikael Granlund – Beckett Sennecke; depth lines including Nico Myatovic, Tim Washe, Sam Colangelo, Jeff Malott, Roger McQueen, Nikita Nesterenko.
Defense: Jackson LaCombe – Drew Helleson; Pavel Mintyukov – Noah Warren; Travis Mitchell – Tristan Luneau.
Goalies: Laurent Brossoit or Lukas Dostal/Ville Husso (projections vary; Brossoit frequently cited as likely).
Core pieces: Carlsson (playmaking leader), Gauthier (hot goal-scoring streak with 10 goals in recent stretch), LaCombe, and supporting scorers.
Injury Reports
Penguins: Bryan Rust (lower body, IR/out; expected early December); Elmer Soderblom (upper body, IR; mid-November); Trevor van Riemsdyk (lower body, IR; around Nov. 11); Ryan Graves (knee/lower body, IR; late November). Core stars available.
Ducks: Troy Terry (hip, IR-LT; status close but listed out/near return); A.J. Greer (upper body, IR); Ryan Poehling (lower body, IR; mid-to-late November); Ian Moore (lower body, IR). Some depth impacted, but offensive core intact.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Sidney Crosby / Evgeni Malkin / Rickard Rakell vs. Ducks defense and goaltending: Pittsburgh’s veteran stars vs. Anaheim’s young mobile blue line (LaCombe and others). Crosby recently climbed the all-time points list.
Cutter Gauthier / Leo Carlsson vs. Penguins defense (Karlsson-led): Gauthier is on a multi-game goal streak; Carlsson drives playmaking. High-event matchup expected.
Erik Karlsson offensive contributions from the blue line vs. Anaheim’s structure: Karlsson remains a key transition piece.
Special teams: Ducks boast an elite power play (around 36%, among the league’s best); Penguins’ PK is solid (around 81%). Both teams play high-event hockey. Goaltending (Silovs or Murashov vs. Brossoit/Dostal) will be critical on the second night of Pittsburgh’s back-to-back.
Recent Team Forms
Penguins: 6-9-2 overall with struggles on the road (around 2-6-1). They snapped a skid with the win in LA but have been inconsistent (3-6-1 in last 10 prior to the win). Offense averages around 3.2 GF/GP; defense allows around 3.5. Crosby and Malkin provide leadership.
Ducks: 9-7-1 overall and surging with four straight wins, scoring 5+ goals in recent games. Strong offense (around 3.8 GF/GP) but porous defense (similar GA/GP). Better on the road lately than at home (home record mixed around 2-4-1). Gauthier and Carlsson leading the charge.
Series History
First meeting of the 2026-27 season. Historical matchups have been competitive, with mixed recent results and occasional high-scoring affairs. Anaheim has held edges in some recent home games against Pittsburgh.
Expect a high-event game. Gauthier continues his hot streak and Carlsson facilitates, while Crosby and Malkin keep Pittsburgh competitive. Anaheim’s momentum and special-teams edge prove decisive at home against a fatigued Penguins side.
Game Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins 7
Anaheim Ducks – 122
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odd Direct as of Saturday, November 7, 2026
