The NHL has announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins will kick off their season on the road against their longtime rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, on September 30th at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Just a few nights later, on October 3rd, the Penguins will return to Pittsburgh to defend home ice at PPG Paints Arena against the Montréal Canadiens for their 2026-27 home opener.
The Penguins finished the season with a 41-25-16 record, placing the Steel City's team 11th overall in the league and second in the Metropolitan Division with a .598 points percentage.
The Penguins' top scorer for the 2025-26 regular season was none other than Sidney Crosby, who tallied 29 goals and 45 assists in 68 games to lead the team with 74 points. Crosby also paced all Penguins skaters in the postseason, picking up five points (one goal, four assists) across six playoff games.
Meanwhile, defenseman Erik Karlsson paced the team's blue line during the regular season, recording 15 goals and 51 assists in 75 games for a total of 66 points. Karlsson continued to lead all Penguins defensemen in the postseason, tallying one goal and two assists for three points in six games.
Ben Kindel dominated the Penguins' rookies in the regular season with a total of 17 goals and 18 assists in 77 games for 35 points.
Goaltender Artūrs Šilovs guarded the net with a record of 19-12-8 and posting a 3.07 GAA, and has blocked a total of 1,020 shots for the regular season.
Šilovs proved he could be a reliable starter even for a critical claim. His performance in the first round of the 2026 NHL Playoffs showed it by going 2-1 with an outstanding 1.52 GAA and a .939 save percentage.
Meanwhile, fellow goaltender Stuart Skinner finished with a higher goals-against average than the Latvian, posting a 2.99 GAA alongside a 12-9-5 record over 27 games.
Skinner will return to Canada next season, having signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Winnipeg Jets as an unrestricted free agent ($3.75 million AAV).
Exiting the playoffs early in the first round against their rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, spread heartbreak all across Fifth Avenue. Yet, the team's optimism and newly drafted players are pushing away the doubts that still linger over what could have been.
The Penguins will first face off against the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, Sept. 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET. They will then return to Pittsburgh for their home opener at PPG Paints Arena, defending home ice against the Montréal Canadiens on October 3.
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