The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to win their third game in a row on Thursday night.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will try to start 2026 on a high note on Thursday.
They will welcome the red-hot Detroit Red Wings, who defeated the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 on Wednesday night and have won seven of their last nine games. They're in first place in the Atlantic Division with a 24-14-3 record and are trying to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.
Lucas Raymond is leading the way for the Red Wings this season, compiling 11 goals and 43 points in 39 games. He's a playmaking machine and can make anyone pay in an instant.
Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin have also been tremendous this season, compiling 20 and 21 goals respectively. Larkin is set to be on the U.S. Olympic Team when it gets announced on Friday after playing well at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year.
DeBrincat has been in the running for a spot on Team USA's roster, but will likely fall a little bit short. Despite that, he has an outstanding release and can score from anywhere.
Defenseman Moritz Seider has been tremendous on the Red Wings' top defensive pair, compiling seven goals and 31 points in 41 games. He's been driving a lot of the offense from the blue line and has also been great in transition.
Goaltender Cam Talbot is the expected starter after John Gibson started on Wednesday.
The Penguins will start Arturs Silovs in net as head coach Dan Muse continues his goalie rotation. Stuart Skinner started against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and will likely start against the Red Wings on Saturday.
Forward Yegor Chinakhov is set to make his Penguins' debut after they acquired him from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday. He's going to play on the third line with Ben Kindel and Rutger McGroarty, replacing Ville Koivunen.
Here are the expected lines:
Forwards
Rakell-Crosby-Rust
Mantha-Novak-Brazeau
Chinakhov-Kindel-McGroarty
Dewar-Lizotte-Acciari
Defensive pairs
Wotherspoon-Karlsson
Kulak-Letang
Shea-St. Ivany
Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. ET on SportsNet Pittsburgh. Fans can also listen to the game on 105.9 'The X.'
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