Update (12:07 p.m. ET, Saturday): Evgeni Malkin is out for the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, according to the official injury report. Malkin had been previously listed as day-to-day with an illness. His status now shows out with a return date of Oct. 29.
The Nashville Predators visit the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday looking to build on their only win in their last five games, while Pittsburgh tries to carry momentum from a shutout victory into the Predators vs Penguins Oct. 24 matchup at PPG Paints Arena. Nashville enters at 3-3-3, ninth in the Central Division with nine points. Pittsburgh sits at 4-6-1, sixth in the Metropolitan Division with nine points of its own, and both teams are trying to climb out of the bottom tier of their respective divisions early in the 2026-27 season.
Predators Vs Penguins Game Information
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 24
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+, Scripps Sports
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season
By The Numbers
- Goals (season total): Nashville 23, Pittsburgh 36
- Points (season total): Nashville 65, Pittsburgh 101
- Shots on goal (season total): Nashville 223, Pittsburgh 295
- Shooting percentage: Nashville 10.3%, Pittsburgh 12.2%
- Save percentage: Nashville .894, Pittsburgh .884
- Goals against average: Nashville 3.11, Pittsburgh 3.36
- Power-play goals: Nashville 8, Pittsburgh 7
- Faceoff percentage: Nashville 48.7%, Pittsburgh 45.6%
- Penalty minutes: Nashville 65, Pittsburgh 75
Predators Outlook
Nashville has lost four of its last five games, including a 6-0 shutout loss at the Boston Bruins on Oct. 22 in which the Predators were blanked. The lone win in that stretch came Oct. 18 against St. Louis, a 5-2 result that snapped a three-game slide.
Steven Stamkos leads the team with four goals and 10 points, while Roman Josi tops Nashville with eight assists. The Predators own a team save percentage of .894 and a 3.11 goals-against average, both better marks than Pittsburgh’s defensive numbers, but they have been outscored by a wide margin in the possession game, posting just 223 shots on goal compared to Pittsburgh’s 295. Juuse Saros is projected as the probable starting goalie for Nashville.
Penguins Outlook
Pittsburgh has dropped six of its last 10 games overall but enters Saturday off a 4-0 shutout win over the Florida Panthers on Oct. 22, snapping a four-game losing streak that included defeats to Chicago, Colorado, Vegas and Utah. With Malkin out for Predators vs Penguins, Nick Robertson now leads the Penguins in goals with six, and Erik Karlsson paces the team with 11 points and 10 assists.
Pittsburgh’s offense has produced 36 goals and 295 shots on goal, both well above Nashville’s totals, but the Penguins’ .884 team save percentage and 3.36 goals-against average rank below the Predators’ defensive numbers. Arturs Silovs is projected as the probable starting goalie.
Pittsburgh’s injury report lists several other situations beyond Malkin, including defenseman Samuel Girard, who is on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue and a listed return date of Oct. 29, and right wing Egor Chinakhov, who is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and a listed return date of Oct. 24. Right wing Bryan Rust remains on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and a return date of Dec. 5, while center Ben Kindel is on injured reserve with an undisclosed issue and a listed return date of Oct. 29.
Key Matchup
Pittsburgh’s shot generation against Nashville’s goaltending remains the deciding factor, though Malkin’s absence removes the Penguins’ leading goal scorer from that equation. The Penguins have fired 295 shots on goal this season against Nashville’s 223, yet Saros and the Predators have posted the better save percentage at .894 compared to Silovs and Pittsburgh’s .884. Without Malkin, Pittsburgh’s offense now leans more heavily on Karlsson’s playmaking and Robertson’s finishing to sustain that shot volume against a Nashville defense that limited Boston but conceded six goals in the loss there. On special teams, Nashville has converted eight power-play goals to Pittsburgh’s seven, a thin edge the Predators will need against a Penguins penalty kill that has already allowed 75 penalty minutes worth of chances to accumulate against it.
What To Watch
Both teams are trying to avoid slipping further behind in divisions where the gap between the top and bottom is already significant. Carolina leads the Metropolitan with 18 points while Pittsburgh sits at nine, and Utah tops the Central with 14 points to Nashville’s nine. A Predators win would be their first true road statement after consecutive losses to Vegas and Boston away from home, while a Penguins win would give Pittsburgh back-to-back victories for the first time this season.
With Malkin out for Pittsburgh, the Penguins’ offensive production without their leading scorer will be worth tracking against a Nashville club looking to end its road struggles. More NHL news and updates on the Predators and Penguins are expected after puck drop at 7 p.m. ET, including Nashville’s recent form covered in the Predators vs Maple Leafs preview and the Predators vs Senators preview from earlier this month.
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