Pittsburgh Penguins: where things stand

The Pittsburgh Penguins have opened the 2026–27 NHL season with striking momentum, entering October 5 at 2–0–0 and preparing to host the Winnipeg Jets. Pittsburgh has scored 13 goals in its first two games, overwhelming Philadelphia 7–0 before surviving a wild 6–5 overtime victory against Montreal. The latter win was especially revealing: the Penguins surrendered a four-goal advantage but recovered when Tommy Novak scored his second goal of the night early in overtime.

The early attack has been driven by a blend of established leadership and renewed depth. Evgeni Malkin has four points through two games, while Sidney Crosby has contributed two assists despite not yet scoring. The Penguins’ transition game and overall pace have drawn praise from Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel, who also characterized Pittsburgh as deeper and more mature than last season after its younger players gained experience.

That progress has produced an energetic, aggressive identity, though the Montreal collapse showed that defensive consistency remains unfinished business. Pittsburgh will now face a Winnipeg team playing the second half of a back-to-back, offering an opportunity to strengthen an already impressive start at home. With Crosby, Malkin, Novak and a deeper supporting cast setting the tone, the Penguins appear determined to turn early offense and improved team speed into a meaningful season rather than a brief opening surge.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have opened the 2026–27 regular season with two wins, but their 6–5 overtime victory over the Montreal Canadiens revealed both their attacking promise and defensive vulnerability. After a dominant 7–0 road win over Philadelphia, Pittsburgh built a four-goal lead against Montreal before allowing the Canadiens to force overtime. Tommy Novak ultimately scored his second goal of the night 1:33 into the extra period, preserving the perfect start. Evgeni Malkin supplied a goal and two assists, while Erik Karlsson and Kris Letang each contributed two assists. Arturs Silovs made 20 saves in goal.

The early results suggest a team capable of generating offense from several lines and receiving meaningful production from its veteran core, while still needing greater consistency after gaining control of games. The return of Andrei Kuzmenko from personal leave and Ben Kindel from injured reserve adds forward depth, although Pittsburgh has also placed David Gustafsson on waivers. Bryan Rust, Justin Brazeau and Ryan Graves remain listed as unavailable, creating additional pressure on the active group.

The Penguins are also beginning their 60th-anniversary season, lending added significance to their home opener and the franchise’s celebration with Mario Lemieux. Their next test is a regular-season home game against the Winnipeg Jets on October 5.

The Pittsburgh Penguins enter the 2026–27 regular season with an encouraging 1–0 record and considerable attention surrounding their attempt to remain competitive in the Metropolitan Division. Their opening victory was emphatic: Pittsburgh defeated Philadelphia 7–0, scoring seven times on 38 shots while receiving a dominant defensive and goaltending performance. That result offered an early reminder that the Penguins can still generate offense and control games when their structure and execution are sharp.

The team’s core remains anchored by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, whose experience continues to shape Pittsburgh’s identity, while Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson provide a veteran foundation on defense. Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell add established scoring support, and the roster also includes a broad mix of younger players and recent additions seeking larger roles. Among the notable newcomers, Andrei Kuzmenko is expected to make his Penguins debut after returning to practice following the death of his father. Kuzmenko signed a one-year contract in July and could add creativity and finishing ability to the attack.

The early statistical picture is positive but limited: Pittsburgh has begun the season unbeaten, while preseason-style projections and market assessments still regard Montréal as a challenging opponent. The Penguins’ next test is at home against the Montréal Canadiens on October 3. A second strong performance would strengthen the sense that Pittsburgh’s veteran core and revamped supporting cast can make the team relevant early in the season.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have opened the 2026–27 NHL season with startling force, overwhelming the Philadelphia Flyers 7–0 on the road in the largest road shutout by a season-opening winner in league history. The result was particularly resonant after Philadelphia eliminated Pittsburgh in last spring’s playoffs, and it immediately lifted the Penguins to 1–0–0 and first place in the Metropolitan Division.

The performance offered an encouraging early glimpse of Pittsburgh’s depth. Fourteen of 18 skaters recorded at least one point, while Filip Hallander led the attack with three points. Nicholas Robertson scored twice in his Penguins debut alongside Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell, and Hendrix Lapierre added a goal and an assist. Kaedan Korczak supplied two assists, while Arturs Silovs stopped all 19 shots for the shutout. The supporting cast’s impact mattered because injuries kept Bryan Rust, Justin Brazeau and Ben Kindel out, while Andrei Kuzmenko was also unavailable.

The strong debut does not erase questions surrounding a veteran core led by Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, all in the later stages of their careers, nor does one game reveal the team’s weaknesses. Rutger McGroarty was reassigned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Kindel returned to practice but remains on injured reserve, and Blake Lizotte is dealing with a lower-body injury. Pittsburgh’s next test is October 3 at home against the Montréal Canadiens, offering an immediate chance to show that its explosive opener reflects genuine depth rather than a one-night surge.

The Pittsburgh Penguins enter the 2026-27 season with a familiar identity but a fresh layer of uncertainty: Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Rickard Rakell remain the franchise’s central pillars, while the roster around them has been reshaped with younger, faster options and several new faces. The organization’s messaging has emphasized competitiveness rather than a hard reset, with Kyle Dubas continuing to balance a veteran core against a more transitional roster and coach Dan Muse settling in behind the bench.

The opening-night picture is complicated by injuries, most notably Bryan Rust being placed on injured reserve, which trims some of the team’s top-six depth before the season has truly begun. That leaves more responsibility on players such as Blake Lizotte, Tommy Novak, Nicholas Robertson, and other forwards expected to supply pace and secondary scoring. On the back end, Erik Karlsson and Letang still drive the offense from defense, but the group must also prove it can defend more cleanly and give the goaltending enough support.

Arturs Silovs is among the goalies tasked with stabilizing that part of the roster, and the team’s immediate test comes tonight on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers. After missing the playoffs in recent years, Pittsburgh still looks like a club trying to stay relevant now while quietly preparing for what comes next.

The Penguins enter the season still built around Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, and Rickard Rakell, but the mood around the club is more pragmatic than nostalgic. Kyle Dubas has been candid that staying in the middle is not enough, and the organization appears caught between trying to compete now and quietly reshaping the roster for what comes next. Dan Muse, in his second season behind the bench, inherits a team that is experienced at the top but thinner and younger behind it.

Pittsburgh’s opening-night group includes several newcomers and internal promotions, with Sergoi Murashov and Arturs Silovs set in goal and younger forwards such as Ville Koivunen, Rutger McGroarty, Hendrix Lapierre, and Egor Chinakhov expected to be part of the conversation. The lineup has already been dented by injuries, with Bryan Rust week to week, Blake Lizotte potentially available, and other depth pieces sidelined, which makes the early weeks feel less stable than the calendar suggests. The result is a club that still has enough talent to be dangerous, especially with its veteran core, but one that looks more likely to battle for relevance than to be viewed as a true contender.

The season opens September 30 on the road against the Philadelphia Flyers, a sharp early test of how competitive this version of the Penguins can be.

The Pittsburgh Penguins enter their September 26 preseason finale in Buffalo with training camp still sorting out the edges of the roster and the shape of the lineup. Recent cuts have already sent several younger forwards and depth pieces to the AHL or junior, while a handful of prospects remain in the mix and are still getting NHL looks in camp.

The biggest story is the competition for final jobs and for the next wave of call-ups. Players such as Rutger McGroarty, Tristan Broz, Owen Pickering, Harrison Brunicke, and Ville Koivunen have stayed in camp and continue to press for larger roles, giving the staff a good look at speed, skill, and NHL readiness. At the same time, the Penguins have been managing injuries and absences among depth options, which has pushed other forwards and defensemen into expanded auditions.

Dan Muse and his staff have also been using these exhibition games to test combinations and special-teams groups. One recent look featured Sidney Crosby between Nick Robertson and Rickard Rakell, Evgeni Malkin with Egor Chinakhov and Tommy Novak, and Hendrix Lapierre elevated into a more prominent center role. On the blue line, Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Samuel Girard, and Trevor van Riemsdyk have been part of the main mix, while goaltenders Arturs Silovs and Sergei Murashov are sharing the crease as the club evaluates its depth behind them.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in the thick of training camp and preseason roster sorting, with their focus squarely on evaluation rather than results. With the next exhibition game set for Sept. 26 in Buffalo, the organization is trimming the camp roster, testing combinations, and giving younger players and depth candidates a real chance to make an impression.

Injuries have complicated the picture, especially down the middle. Ben Kindel is now considered week to week, while Blake Lizotte remains out on a week-to-week timeline, leaving the Penguins thinner at center than they expected. That has opened doors for Connor Dewar to shift inside and for Hendrix Lapierre to keep making his case after a solid camp. Justin Brazeau has also been working back in a day-to-day situation, which matters for a team still trying to settle its forward mix.

There has been plenty of attention on prospects too, including Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Tristan Broz, Tanner Howe, Harrison Brunicke, and Sergei Murashov, all of whom have been getting extended looks. The Penguins have also been moving through a significant wave of cuts, underscoring how much of the camp is about sorting NHL-ready depth from players headed for the minors. The veteran core, led by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson, remains the anchor, but the broader story is competition, auditions, and depth decisions as opening night approaches.

The Penguins enter their preseason finale against the Columbus Blue Jackets with camp still sorting out the bottom of the roster, the lineup, and the team’s next wave of talent. The veteran core remains the backbone, but recent reporting points to a shortened camp creating real pressure for younger forwards and defensemen to make impressions quickly, with tryouts, prospects, and depth pieces all getting limited chances to separate themselves.

Training camp has also been shaped by cuts and assignments, including the club trimming nine players while leaving a large camp group still in place for more evaluation. That has kept attention on players such as Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Tanner Howe, and Melvin Fernström, who are trying to turn promising flashes into longer looks. On the blue line, prospects and depth defenders have been competing for visibility alongside established names like Kris Letang, Erik Karlsson, and Ryan Graves, while goaltending has been part of the mix with Arturs Silovs among the players drawing scrutiny.

The top of the roster still carries the identity of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Bryan Rust, but the broader story is how much experimentation remains. The Penguins are using these exhibition games to test combinations, assess players returning from injury, and decide which young skaters can survive the final cuts before opening night.

The Penguins enter this preseason with a clear sense of transition: Dan Muse is using exhibition games to sort out roster depth, test pairings, and see how quickly the younger players can absorb the team’s structure. The most recent look showed Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Rickard Rakell on the ice with a rotated support cast, while the coaching staff continued to experiment with combinations around them rather than locking anything in.

Training camp has already become a proving ground for several players trying to force their way into the conversation. Arturs Silovs has been getting important preseason work in goal, while the Sam Girard-Kaedan Korczak defense pair has drawn positive attention for its steadiness. Up front, prospects and bubble players such as Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Ben Kindel, and others have had chances to show speed, energy, and detail, giving the staff a better read on who can handle NHL pace.

Injuries have also shaped the picture. Ben Kindel and Justin Brazeau are day to day with lower-body issues, Ville Koivunen is dealing with an upper-body injury, and Blake Lizotte and Oliver Okuliar have been sidelined with week-to-week concerns. With the Penguins’ next exhibition set for September 24 on the road against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the focus remains on health, evaluation, and who can separate in a crowded camp.

The Penguins enter their Sept. 22 preseason home game against Detroit with training camp already producing a clearer picture of the roster battle. Their first exhibition win over Buffalo featured a strong showing from Bryan Rust, and the club has been using these games to sort out forward combinations, evaluate younger players, and decide which fringe skaters can keep pushing for NHL jobs.

Injuries have added urgency to the competition. Blake Lizotte and Oliver Okuliar are both out week to week, thinning the center and depth-forward mix just as camp jobs are being decided. That has created more opportunity for players such as Rutger McGroarty, Ville Koivunen, Tristan Broz, Ben Kindel, and Atley Calvert to make an impression, while veterans Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Rickard Rakell continue to anchor the top of the lineup.

On defense, the camp picture is equally crowded, with Erik Karlsson, Kris Letang, Ryan Graves, Samuel Girard, and Trevor van Riemsdyk joined by younger challengers like Harrison Brunicke, Owen Pickering, and Tomas Galvas. In goal, Arturs Silovs has been part of the early look, with Sergei Murashov and Taylor Gauthier also in the mix.

With preseason games serving strictly as auditions, the main story is not results but evaluation: who can earn roles, who gets cut or reassigned, and which combinations look worth carrying deeper into camp.

The Penguins are entering preseason with a camp defined by competition, youth, and a few familiar veterans trying to reassert their roles. Their first roster move already sent one goaltender back to junior, trimming the camp pool and signaling that the real battles are now among the remaining prospects and fringe players.

The lineup for Monday’s exhibition against the Buffalo Sabres shows the shape of the evaluation process. Pittsburgh is mixing established names like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Erik Karlsson with players trying to seize jobs or climb the depth chart, including Ben Kindel, Tanner Howe, Tristan Broz, Avery Hayes, Harrison Brunicke, Owen Pickering, Chase Pietila, and Sergei Murashov. The group also hints at line experiments, with Andrei Kuzmenko, Bryan Rust, and Kindel drawing attention as a possible early combination.

The atmosphere around camp is also about sorting out depth up front and on defense. Veterans such as Ryan Graves, Trevor van Riemsdyk, and Blake Lizotte are part of the mix, while younger forwards and defensemen are getting their first meaningful NHL looks. With preseason games still serving as auditions, the Penguins are using this stretch to narrow a crowded roster and identify who can support the core when the regular season begins.

The Penguins enter preseason with a mix of familiar star power and real uncertainty around the edges, and training camp has already looked more like an audition than a tune-up. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang remain the center of the franchise, but the early camp focus has shifted to which younger forwards can force their way into the picture and which veteran combinations can generate the most chemistry before the opener cycle begins.

A lot of the attention has centered on new and emerging forwards. Egor Chinakhov has been working in a prominent spot with Malkin and Tommy Novak, while Nicholas Robertson has reportedly shown well alongside Crosby and Rickard Rakell in a possible top-line preview. Andrei Kuzmenko has also been getting looks with Ben Kindel and Bryan Rust, giving the coaching staff a chance to test offense-minded combinations. Tanner Howe has drawn interest as a first-camp prospect, with preseason games expected to be his best chance to make an impression.

On the blue line, the group remains crowded enough to keep several players fighting for ice time and roles, while the goaltending picture is equally unsettled behind Arturs Silovs. With the first exhibition home game against the Buffalo Sabres on September 21, the Penguins appear to be using every practice rep to sort out roster spots, special teams looks, and which young players are ready to stick.

The Penguins have entered a fast-paced, uncertain preseason with training camp framed less by big-picture expectations than by roster sorting and line experimentation. Veterans Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are back in the mix, but the club is using camp to see how a crowded group of forwards and defensemen fits around them, while assistant GM Jason Spezza has emphasized how little time younger players have to prove they belong.

Early camp reporting points to several players making strong impressions. Filip Hallander has looked healthy and energetic after returning from a serious blood clot scare, and he has quickly emerged as one of the more intriguing depth candidates. Nick Robertson has skated with Crosby and Rickard Rakell in what could become a top-line look, while Egor Chinakhov, Tommy Novak, and Malkin have formed another notable trio. On defense, Declan Carlile has been getting looks with Erik Karlsson, Trevor van Riemsdyk with Letang, and Samuel Girard with Kaedan Korczak, suggesting the staff is already testing possible pairings.

There is also a spotlight on younger players such as Harrison Brunicke, Owen Pickering, and Ville Koivunen, who are getting meaningful camp attention. The next chance to evaluate all of it comes in the preseason home game against the Buffalo Sabres on September 21.