The San Jose Sharks, buoyed by a dramatic overtime road win in Toronto, cross the continent for a Saturday afternoon showdown with the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. This matchup contrasts San Jose’s youthful, high-octane attack—led by rookie sensation Macklin Celebrini—with Pittsburgh’s veteran core desperate to halt a three-game skid amid key injuries. The Penguins’ elite power play (32.4%, 2nd in NHL) could exploit the Sharks’ middling penalty kill (80.4%, 15th), but San Jose’s speed on the rush tests a Penguins blue line missing its shutdown pivot. With recent trades shaking up Pittsburgh’s crease and depth, expect a fast-paced, special-teams-heavy battle where goaltending stability will be paramount.
Game Information
Puckdrop: 3:00 p.m. ET (puck drop)
Venue: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (capacity: 18,387; home of the Penguins since 2010)
Broadcast: SN-PIT (Penguins local), NBCSCA (Sharks local), SN1, SN, ESPN+
Series Context: Second meeting of the 2025-26 season (after Pittsburgh’s 3-0 shutout on Oct. 18); Penguins have owned recent H2H tilts.
Injury Report
Injuries are biting both squads, with Pittsburgh’s forward and defensive depth hit hardest post-Malkin placement on IR. San Jose’s game-time calls could shuffle lines significantly.
| Team | Player | Position | Status | Injury/Details | Estimated Return |
| Sharks | Vincent Desharnais | D | Out | Upper Body | Dec. 27 (IR since Dec. 9; sidelined through Christmas) |
| Sharks | Michael Misa | C | Out | Lower Body | Dec. 16 (LTIR since Dec. 3; second injury in a month) |
| Sharks | Ty Dellandrea | C | Questionable | Upper Body | Game-time (injured vs. TOR Dec. 11) |
| Sharks | Ryan Reaves | RW | Questionable | Upper Body | Game-time (injured vs. TOR Dec. 11) |
| Sharks | Shakir Mukhamadullin | D | Questionable | Upper Body | Game-time (injured vs. TOR Dec. 11) |
| Sharks | Yaroslav Askarov | G | Questionable | Illness | Game-time (missed practice Dec. 12) |
| Penguins | Evgeni Malkin | C | Out | Upper Body | Dec. 20 (IR since Dec. 9; 9G, 20A in 26GP) |
| Penguins | Blake Lizotte | C | Out | Undisclosed | Dec. 20 (IR since Dec. 9; 3G, 2A in 27GP) |
| Penguins | Caleb Jones | D | Out | Lower Body | Dec. 20 (IR since Oct. 25; limited to 7GP) |
| Penguins | Filip Hallander | F | Out | Leg (blood clot) | Indefinite (IR since Nov. 7) |
| Penguins | Harrison Brunicke | D | Out | Undisclosed | Jan. 8 |
| Penguins | Peyton Kettles | D | Out | Undisclosed | Indefinite |
San Jose’s top-six forward group remains intact, but Dellandrea’s status impacts secondary scoring. Pittsburgh activates Rickard Rakell (hand) from IR but loses Malkin’s playmaking—exacerbating a 1-4-1 slump in last six.
Key Player Matchups
Projected lines account for injuries and recent tweaks (Sharks via morning skate; Penguins post-trade). Emphasis on Celebrini’s dynamism vs. Crosby’s experience in a clash of eras.
Sharks Top Line (Graf – Celebrini – Smith) vs. Penguins Top Line (Rakell – Crosby – Rust): Macklin Celebrini (15G, 44P in 32GP) is a Calder frontrunner, with 7P in last 5 road games; Will Smith (rookie chemistry) adds sniper touch. They test Sidney Crosby (18G, 32P), returning Rakell (3G, 5A pre-injury) on the wing—Pittsburgh’s top trio boasts 31.2% PP efficiency. Edge: Penguins’ vets in faceoffs (Crosby 54.2%).
Sharks Second Line (Eklund – Wennberg – Toffoli) vs. Penguins Second Line (Mantha – Hayes – Brazeau): William Eklund (multi-point threat) and Tyler Toffoli (clutch finisher) drive San Jose’s rush; Alexander Wennberg stabilizes center. Pittsburgh counters with Anthony Mantha’s size and Justin Brazeau’s recent surge (4P in 3GP). Edge: Sharks’ speed exploits Hayes’ mobility limits.
Goalie Duel: Alex Nedeljkovic (Sharks) vs. Arturs Silovs (Penguins): Nedeljkovic (8-7-2, 2.94 GAA, .902 SV%) starts amid Askarov’s illness; 3 straight quality outings (under 3 GA). Silovs (4-4-5, 2.98 GAA, .900 SV%) gets the nod post-trade chaos (Skinner acquired Dec. 12). Edge: Slight to Nedeljkovic on rest, but Penguins’ shot volume (28.0/game) pressures.
Power play tilts to Pittsburgh (32.4%, 2nd) over San Jose (18.8%, 19th); Penguins’ PK (85.2%, 3rd) neutralizes Sharks’ man-advantage
Team Records and Standings
San Jose Sharks: 15-14-3 (33 points, 5th in Pacific Division; 6-9-0 on road). Advanced stats: 20th in GF/G (2.78), 22nd in GA/G (3.25), -15 diff (24th).
Pittsburgh Penguins: 14-8-7 (35 points, 5th in Metropolitan Division; 6-5-3 at home). Advanced stats: 9th in GF/G (3.10), 8th in GA/G (2.76).
San Jose’s resilience in OT (3-0 this season) meets Pittsburgh’s home PP dominance (40% in last 5).
Recent Team Forms
San Jose enters on a high after a 3-2 OT road win over Toronto on Dec. 11 (Celebrini GWG), snapping a two-game skid but outshot 35-28. Prior: 1-4 L at PHI (Dec. 9; Nedeljkovic pulled), 4-1 W at CAR (Dec. 7; Toffoli 2G), 1-4 L at DAL (Dec. 5). Last 10: 5-5-0 (2.8 GF/G, 3.2 GA/G), with 4 road wins tying for 10th-best away mark.
Pittsburgh’s skid deepens after a 4-2 home loss to Montreal on Dec. 11 (Fowler debut shutout bid; outshot 33-27). Before: 3-4 SO L vs. ANA (Dec. 9; blew 3-1 lead), 2-3 SO L vs. DAL (Dec. 7), 5-1 W vs. PHI (Dec. 4). Last 10: 4-3-3 (3.0 GF/G, 2.8 GA/G), but 1-4-1 in last 6 with blown leads in 3.
| Last 5 Games | Sharks Record | Key Stat | Penguins Record | Key Stat |
| @ TOR (Dec 11) | W 3-2 (OT) | 28 SOG, 1/2 PP | vs. MTL (Dec 11) | L 2-4 |
| @ PHI (Dec 9) | L 1-4 | 18 SOG, 0/2 PP | vs. ANA (Dec 9) | L 3-4 (SO) |
| @ CAR (Dec 7) | W 4-1 | 23 SOG, Toffoli 2G | vs. DAL (Dec 7) | L 2-3 (SO) |
| @ DAL (Dec 5) | L 1-4 | 17 SOG, 0/3 PP | vs. PHI (Dec 4) | W 5-1 |
| vs. WSH (Dec 3) | L 1-7 | 24 SOG, 1/4 PP | @ TBL (Dec 1) | W 4-2 |
Series History
Since 1991, Pittsburgh holds a 24-20-8 edge in regular-season meetings (52 total games, avg. 5.9 goals). Penguins dominate lately: 7-3 in last 10, including 3-0 shutout on Oct. 18, 2025. All-time at PPG Paints: Penguins 14-7-2 vs. SJ. Overs hit 5-5 in last 10, but unders 2-1 since 2025 (low-event trend). Playoffs: Penguins 4-2 (2016 Cup Final sweep).
Betting Trends
Puck Line: Penguins -1.5 (+144); Sharks +1.5 (-178). Penguins 7-3 ATS vs. SJ since 2022.
Total: 6.5 (Over +100 / Under -120). Unders 6-4 in Penguins’ last 10 home; 5-5 in H2H.
Trends: Sharks 5-5 as road dogs; Penguins 4-3-3 last 10 but 7-2 SU vs. SJ. Public: 55% on Over 6.5.
Game Odds
San Jose Sharks 6.5
Pittsburgh Penguins – 162
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, December 12, 2025
