The Penguins got exactly what they needed Thursday: a clean, complete win that snapped a four-game skid and gave them a little breathing room after an ugly stretch of turnovers and scattered play. Now they get Nashville at home Saturday night, with puck drop just after 7 p.m. after Maria Yezovich sings the National Anthem at PPG Paints Arena.
Pittsburgh is 4-6-1, and Thursday’s 4-0 win over Florida looked more like the team it has been trying to become. Nick Robertson led the way with two goals, scoring first and then adding the empty-netter. Evgeni Malkin and Hendrix Lapierre each chipped in a goal and an assist, while Arturs Silovs was locked in from start to finish and turned aside all 26 shots.
Silovs is expected to be right back in goal Saturday, but the Penguins’ lineup may not look exactly the same otherwise. Egor Chinakhov and Sam Girard remained day-to-day and did not practice Friday, and Malkin also missed practice because of illness.
He did skate Saturday morning, but coach Dan Muse said Malkin will not play. To fill his spot, Pittsburgh recalled prospect Avery Hayes.
Nashville comes in after a rough night of its own, getting blanked 6-0 by the Boston Bruins on Thursday. Casey Mittelstadt and Elias Lindholm put Boston ahead in the opening period, David Pastrnak and JJ Peterka stretched the lead in the second, and Mark Kastelic along with Pastrnak finished it off in the third. Justus Annunen made 25 saves in his first start of the season for the Predators.
Juuse Saros is expected in goal for Nashville on Saturday.
The Penguins’ projected forward groups are Tommy Novak, Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell on the top line; Ville Koivunen, Hendrix Lapierre and Evgeni Malkin on the second; Andrei Kuzmenko, Blake Lizotte and Rutger McGroarty on the third; and Elmer Soderblom, Connor Dewar and Nick Robertson on the fourth. On defense, Pittsburgh is set with Spencer Stastney and Erik Karlsson, Declan Carlile and Kaeden Korczak, and Ilya Solovyov and Kris Letang. Silovs is the listed goalie.
Nashville’s projected lines show Steven Stamkos, Ryan O’Reilly and Matthew Wood; Filip Forsberg, Mavrik Bourque and Jonathan Marchessault; Ross Colton, Alexander Kerfoot and Nils Hoglander; and Reid Schaefer, Jack Drury and Adam Edstrom. The defense pairings are Roman Josi and Adam Wilsby, Brady Skjei and Nick Perbix, and Nicolas Hague and Jayden Struble.
Special teams could matter too. Pittsburgh’s power play is operating at 21.2 percent, which ranks 18th, while its penalty kill sits at 83.3 percent, tied for seventh. Nashville’s power play has been even stronger at 28.6 percent, tied for third, and its penalty kill is also at 83.3 percent, tied for seventh.
The Penguins’ injury list remains lengthy. Justin Brazeau is out with a lower-body injury and has missed 11 straight games.
Trevor van Riemsdyk has missed six with a lower-body injury, while Sam Girard has missed two. Egor Chinakhov has missed one game with a lower-body injury, Ben Kindel has missed one after a vasovagal episode, and Bryan Rust has also missed one with a lower-body injury.
Pittsburgh has 29 man-games lost in the 2026-27 regular season.
There is at least one matchup note that tilts heavily toward Pittsburgh: the Penguins have an active nine-game point streak against Nashville at 7-0-2 dating back to Apr. 10, 2022.
They have also picked up points in 22 of their last 26 games against the Predators dating back to Oct. 21, 2010, and have won six straight home games against them. Karlsson’s five power-play points are tied for fourth among NHL defensemen.
Novak, meanwhile, spent the first three and a half years of his career in Nashville, where he played 201 regular-season games and posted 49 goals, 68 assists and 117 points, with two seasons above the 40-point mark.
Lapierre’s performance Thursday was another bright spot. It was his second multi-point game of the season, and it came in just his seventh game played. That matches the total number of multi-point games he had last season in Washington, when he played 74 games.
In Other News...
Penguins Let A Hopeful Home Rally Slip Into A Frustrating Loss
A promising push from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton quickly turned into a frustrating night at home, as the Penguins fell 7-3 to Belleville in an AHL matchup that never fully swung back their way. Belleville grabbed the early edge and kept the pressure on, leaving the Penguins chasing the game before a second-period rally briefly gave the building some life.
One of the bigger swings came from an old familiar face, with former Penguin Phil Tomasino helping fuel Bellevilles attack throughout the night. In goal, Jackson Parsons also settled in for the Senators and turned aside the Penguins comeback hopes as the visitors kept control and sent Wilkes-Barre/Scranton away with a loss that felt more lopsided than it first appeared. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Just Got A Brutal Reminder About The East
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For the Penguins, the larger concern is not just one transaction but what it signals about how aggressive contenders are willing to be as the season unfolds. Reports around other NHL developments and player scouting suggest teams are already thinking several steps ahead, and the Devils latest move only reinforces how quickly the balance in the conference can shift. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Still Stuck Waiting On A Real Mathew Barzal Update
The Penguins are dealing with another short-term lineup wrinkle as they head into their game against Nashville, with Evgeni Malkin unavailable because of illness. Pittsburgh called up Avery Hayes to take his place, a reminder of how quickly a late-week issue can force the club to shuffle its forward group and lean on organizational depth for a one-off game.
For a team already navigating the usual in-season attrition, the absence adds another layer of uncertainty to a lineup that has to stay flexible on the fly. Hayes gets the recall opportunity, while the broader picture remains focused on how long Pittsburgh can keep absorbing these temporary absences without it affecting the rhythm of the roster. [Read more 🡒]