Penguins vs Canadiens brings together the oldest core in hockey and one of the youngest. Pittsburgh still have Crosby, Malkin and Letang, all in the league’s ten oldest players. Montréal arrive with Suzuki, Caufield, Hutson and Demidov, none of them 27.
Puck drop is 7:00pm ET at PPG Paints Arena. Here is the Penguins vs Canadiens team news and the form behind it.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Fixture | Montréal Canadiens at Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Date | Saturday 3 October 2026 |
| Time | 7:00pm ET |
| Venue | PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh |
| 2025-26 head to head | Montréal took five of six points |
| 2025-26 finish | Pittsburgh 10th, Montréal 6th |
Penguins vs Canadiens odds
The Canadian books had not posted a price for this one when we checked on 30 September. We will add the board once it lands. Live prices across the league are on our NHL odds page.
Pittsburgh are missing three forwards worth 134 points
This is the thing to know before anything else about Penguins vs Canadiens.
| Player | 2025-26 | Status | Expected back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bryan Rust | 29 goals, 65 points | Injured reserve, upper body | 5 October |
| Ben Kindel | 17 goals, 35 points | Injured reserve, lower body | 7 October |
| Justin Brazeau | 17 goals, 34 points | Injured reserve, lower body | 7 October |
| Ryan Graves | 22 games | Injured reserve, knee | 24 October |
| Andrei Kuzmenko | – | Injured reserve, personal | 3 October |
Bryan Rust is the big one. Twenty-nine goals and 65 points last season, second on the team behind Crosby. Ben Kindel, 19 years old and one of the youngest players in the league, put up 35 as a rookie and is week to week. Justin Brazeau is coming off a career year and is also week to week.
Blake Lizotte may be activated in time. Andrei Kuzmenko is listed for the game date itself. Availability across the league is tracked on our NHL injury report.
What Pittsburgh still have
A lot, and most of it is over 35.
Sidney Crosby put up 74 points in 68 games at 39. Evgeni Malkin managed 61 in 56 at 40. Erik Karlsson added 66 from the blue line on 15 goals and 51 assists. Kris Letang played 74 games at 39 and contributed 34.
Rickard Rakell scored 24 goals. Connor Dewar finished at plus 16 and Evgeni Malkin at plus 13, the two best marks among the forwards on this roster, and Malkin did it at 40.
Pittsburgh took 98 points and finished 10th with a goal difference of plus 25. This is not a rebuilding team, whatever the ages suggest. Three of the ten oldest players in the league are on this roster, which we covered in full on our oldest NHL player page.
Montréal arrive with a win already banked
The Canadiens beat Toronto 3-2 on opening night, with Alexandre Carrier scoring the winner and taking first star. Our report is on the Maple Leafs vs Canadiens page.
They finished sixth overall last season on 106 points, the best mark by any Canadian club. Nick Suzuki captained them to 101 points at plus 37. Cole Caufield scored 51. Lane Hutson put up 78 from defence at plus 36, and Ivan Demidov added 62 before signing an eight-year extension in July.
Oliver Kapanen is a doubt. He is day to day with a lower-body problem and listed for 3 October, which is this game. Twenty-two goals and 37 points as a rookie last season. Kaiden Guhle remains on injured reserve until around 23 October.
What happened last season
Three meetings inside eleven days in December, and Montréal took five of the six points.
| Date | Result | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 11 December 2025 | Montréal 4-2 Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh |
| 20 December 2025 | Montréal 4-0 Pittsburgh | Montréal |
| 21 December 2025 | Pittsburgh 4-3 Montréal (SO) | Pittsburgh |
A shutout in Montréal, a win in Pittsburgh, and a shootout loss on the second night of a back-to-back. Pittsburgh did not win this fixture in regulation last season.
Players to watch
Sidney Crosby. Seventy-four points at 39, and with Rust out he carries more of the load again.
Nick Suzuki. A hundred and one points and plus 37 last season. The best two-way centre on the ice in this one.
Erik Karlsson. Sixty-six points from defence. Against a Montréal side that plays Hutson heavy minutes, the blue-line matchup is where this is decided.
Jakub Dobes. Went 29-10-4 last season and signed three years in July. Kept Toronto to two on opening night.
Penguins vs Canadiens prediction
Montréal were four points better last season, took five of six in this fixture, and arrive with a win. Pittsburgh are missing their second, fifth and sixth-highest scorers from last season.
The counterweight is real though. Pittsburgh are at home on a Saturday, Crosby and Malkin have made a career of this kind of night, and Montréal are on the road for the first time this season with Kapanen a doubt and Guhle already out.
Our lean: Montréal, and the under if the total sits at 6.5. Two of the three meetings last season finished at six goals or fewer, and both clubs have settled goaltending. We will firm the Penguins vs Canadiens call up when the board posts.
Where these two sit against the other 30 is on our NHL power rankings.
Puck drop is 7:00pm ET on Saturday 3 October 2026 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
No. Rust is on injured reserve with an upper-body problem and is not expected back until around 5 October. He scored 29 goals and 65 points last season, second on the team.
Montreal took five of six points. They won 4-2 in Pittsburgh and 4-0 at home, and lost the third in a shootout. Pittsburgh did not beat them in regulation.
He is day to day with a lower-body injury and listed for 3 October, which is this game. He scored 22 goals as a rookie last season.
Pittsburgh finished 10th on 98 points with a goal difference of plus 25. Montreal finished 6th on 106 points at plus 27, the best of the Canadian clubs.
19+ (18+ in AB, MB and QC). Odds are approximate at the time of writing and change constantly. Availability varies by province. Please play responsibly. ConnexOntario: 1-866-531-2600 for Ontario residents; see your province’s helpline for resources elsewhere.