The New York Rangers (22-27-6) travel to face the Pittsburgh Penguins (27-14-11) in a Metropolitan Division rivalry game. The Rangers are struggling at the bottom of the division (8th place), mired in a rebuild phase with defensive woes and key injuries. The Penguins, second in the division, are on a hot streak and pushing for playoff positioning. This is their third meeting of the 2025-26 season, with each team winning one prior game (Penguins 3-0 on Oct. 7; Rangers 6-1 on Oct. 11). Expect a motivated Penguins squad at home, but the Rangers’ desperation could lead to a scrappy, high-intensity affair.
Venue: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Puck drop is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET (12:30 p.m. PT)
TV/Streaming: ABC, SNO, SNE, SN1, TVAS, ESPN+
Recent Team Forms
The Penguins are surging, while the Rangers are in freefall amid injuries and inconsistency.
Rangers (3-7-0 in last 10): New York has lost four straight, averaging 2.1 goals scored and 4.0 allowed. They’ve been outshot in most games, with poor special teams (18% PP, 75% PK recently). Key wins include a 4-3 OT over Ottawa (Jan. 26) and 6-3 over Seattle (Jan. 17), but blowouts like 10-2 to Boston (Jan. 10) highlight issues
Last 5 Games:
| Date | Opponent | Result |
| Jan 29 | vs NYI | L 1-2 |
| Jan 28 | @ NYI | L 2-5 |
| Jan 26 | vs OTT | W 4-3 (OT) |
| Jan 23 | @ ANA | L 1-3 |
| Jan 19 | @ SJS | L 3-5 |
Penguins (7-2-1 in last 10): Pittsburgh rides a five-game win streak, averaging 4.2 goals scored and 2.3 allowed. Strong goaltending and balanced scoring have fueled wins like 6-2 over Chicago (Jan. 29) and 4-1 over Detroit (Jan. 3). Losses were close, like 2-1 to New Jersey (Jan. 10)
Last 5 Games:
| Date | Opponent | Result |
| Jan 29 | vs CHI | W 6-2 |
| Jan 25 | @ SEA | W 3-2 |
| Jan 22 | @ VAN | W 6-3 |
| Jan 21 | @ CGY | W 4-1 |
| Jan 19 | vs EDM | W 4-3 (OT) |
Injury Report
Injuries decimate the Rangers’ core, while the Penguins manage depth issues but could miss stars.
Rangers:
Artemi Panarin (LW, roster management/undisclosed): Day-to-day, missed Jan. 29 game
Igor Shesterkin (G, lower body): On IR, out indefinitely
Adam Fox (D, lower body): On LTIR, eligible to return Jan. 31 but status uncertain
Conor Sheary (LW, lower body): On IR, out until at least Feb. 28
Adam Edstrom (C, lower body): On LTIR.
Penguins:
Evgeni Malkin (C, upper body/shoulder): Day-to-day, missed Jan. 30 practice
Kris Letang (D, upper body): Day-to-day, missed Jan. 30 practice
Ryan Graves (D, lower body): On IR, out until at least Jan. 31
Jack St. Ivany (D, hand): On IR, out until at least Mar. 26.
Filip Hallander (C, leg/blood clot): On IR, out indefinitely.
Tanner Howe (LW, ACL): On IR-NR, out until Feb. 26.
Projected starters: Jonathan Quick (Rangers, .885 SV%) vs. Stuart Skinner (Penguins, .905 SV%) if Jarry rests
Key Player Matchups
This game pits Pittsburgh’s veteran stars against New York’s young depth, with goaltending crucial.
Sidney Crosby (Penguins C) vs. Mika Zibanejad (Rangers C): Crosby (25G, 45A) anchors Pittsburgh’s top line, facing Zibanejad (18G, 35A), who’s been steady but needs support without Panarin
Evgeni Malkin (Penguins C, if available) vs. Vincent Trocheck (Rangers C): Malkin (8G, 21A in limited games) brings playmaking; Trocheck (15G, 30A) is New York’s shutdown center, key in faceoffs (55% FO%)
Alexis Lafreniere (Rangers LW) vs. Kris Letang (Penguins D, if available): Lafreniere (20G, 38P) leads Rangers scoring with Panarin out; Letang (5G, 25A) must contain him while quarterbacking the PP
Goaltending Duel: Jonathan Quick (Rangers) vs. Stuart Skinner (Penguins): Quick (2.95 GAA) faces a hot Penguins offense; Skinner (2.65 GAA) exploits New York’s leaky defense (4+ goals allowed in recent losses)
Projected Lineups (per NHL.com
Rangers: Miller-Zibanejad-Perreault; Cuylle-Trocheck-Lafreniere; Othmann-Laba-Raddysh; Berard-Carrick-Rempe. Defense: Gavrikov-Schneider; Robertson-Borgen; Vaakanainen-Morrow. Goalie: Quick.
Penguins: Rakell-Crosby-Brazeau; Chinakhov-Novak-Hayes; Bunting-Malkin (if available)-Rust; Puljujarvi-Acciari-Nieto. Defense: Pettersson-Karlsson (if available); Joseph-Letang; Shea-Niedermayer. Goalie: Skinner.
Series History
The Penguins hold a slight all-time edge: 143-132-23-7 in regular season (including 139-130-36 overall per some sources). In playoffs, Pittsburgh leads 5-3 in series. Recently, the home team has dominated: Penguins are 4-1 in last 5 home games vs. Rangers. Pittsburgh has won 6 of the last 10 overall, outscoring New York 32-25. At PPG Paints Arena, Penguins are 7-3 in the last 10.
Betting Trends
Rangers 1-5 SU in last 6; Penguins 5-0 SU in last 5. Pittsburgh 8-2 ATS in last 10 home games; New York 3-7 ATS in last 10 overall. Rangers 8-3 SU in last 11 vs. Penguins, but 2-4 in last 6 at Pittsburgh
Game Odds
New York Rangers 6.5
Pittsburgh Penguins – 192
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, January 30, 2026
