Inside The Rink Gameday Graphic
The Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Montréal Canadiens at Centre Bell on Saturday, October 31, 2026, with puck drop set for 7:00 PM EDT.
Matchup: Pittsburgh Penguins (5-6-2, 12 points in 2026-27) at Montréal Canadiens (8-3-2, 18 points in 2026-27)
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM EDT
Venue: Centre Bell
How to watch: MTL: SNE, SN1, TVAS · PIT: SN-PIT
Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster
Pittsburgh Penguins News & Notes
The Penguins’ western swing closed Wednesday with an overtime loss in Utah, their second defeat to the Mammoth this month. Pittsburgh pushed back late in the third period, only to surrender the winner in the final second as Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley completed a natural hat trick inside a five-minute stretch. The club practiced Thursday with Sidney Crosby first on the ice, and the stated focus was consistency, an issue that has followed the team through the opening month.
Next is a Saturday visit to Montreal, where the Canadiens return home after sweeping a four-game road trip that ended with a 5-2 win. Montreal carries a four-game winning streak, all in regulation, and players spoke afterward about a newfound maturity in how the group has handled games away from the Bell Centre. The matchup marks the second meeting between the clubs this season.
Montréal Canadiens News & Notes
Lane Hutson added another line to the franchise record book, passing Henri Richard for the most assists by a Canadiens player before age 23 after tying the Pocket Rocket at 135. The blue line was short-handed in Dallas, with Mike Matheson sitting out because of a lower-body injury. There was better news on the captain, as Suzuki skated in full gear at the team’s Brossard practice facility while working back from the upper-body injury that ended his ironman streak.
Pittsburgh Penguins Projected Lines
Line 1: Tommy Novak – Sidney Crosby – Rickard Rakell
Line 2: Egor Chinakhov – Ben Kindel – Evgeni Malkin
Line 3: Andrei Kuzmenko – Hendrix Lapierre – Ville Koivunen
Line 4: Connor Dewar – Blake Lizotte – Nicholas Robertson
Pair 1: Spencer Stastney – Erik Karlsson
Pair 2: Samuel Girard – Kaedan Korczak
Pair 3: Declan Carlile – Kris Letang
Goaltenders: Arturs Silovs – Sergei Murashov
Pittsburgh Penguins Special Teams
Power play, First unit: Ville Koivunen – Tommy Novak – Rickard Rakell – Erik Karlsson – Sidney Crosby
Power play, Second unit: Andrei Kuzmenko – Ben Kindel – Egor Chinakhov – Kris Letang – Evgeni Malkin
Penalty kill, First unit: Blake Lizotte – Connor Dewar – Declan Carlile – Kaedan Korczak
Penalty kill, Second unit: Rickard Rakell – Nicholas Robertson – Spencer Stastney – Erik Karlsson
Montréal Canadiens Projected Lines
Line 1: Cole Caufield – Alex Newhook – Juraj Slafkovsky
Line 2: Chris Kreider – Oliver Kapanen – Josh Anderson
Line 3: Zack Bolduc – Phillip Danault – Alexandre Texier
Line 4: Florian Xhekaj – Jake Evans – Kirby Dach
Pair 1: Lane Hutson – Noah Dobson
Pair 2: Kaiden Guhle – Alexandre Carrier
Pair 3: Arber Xhekaj – Adam Engstrom
Goaltenders: Jakub Dobes – Jacob Fowler
Montréal Canadiens Special Teams
Power play, First unit: Juraj Slafkovsky – Kirby Dach – Zack Bolduc – Cole Caufield – Lane Hutson
Power play, Second unit: Chris Kreider – Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Noah Dobson – Alexandre Texier
Penalty kill, First unit: Phillip Danault – Jake Evans – Kaiden Guhle – Alexandre Carrier
Penalty kill, Second unit: Kirby Dach – Josh Anderson – Adam Engstrom – Noah Dobson
Players To Watch
Evgeni Malkin — Pittsburgh Penguins
Malkin set up two goals on four shots in 16:23 last time out, and the underlying work backs it. Box Score Junkie has him at 57.8% Corsi-for and 55.3% Fenwick through 204 minutes this season, with 66.6 shot attempts for per 60 and six goals on 3.0 expected — a finishing run worth a points-prop look.
Alexandre Texier — Montréal Canadiens
With Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov both out, Montreal needs someone to drive play, and Texier has done it quietly. Box Score Junkie’s 2026-27 numbers give him 61.5% Corsi-for and 59.1% Fenwick across 169 minutes, with 63.4 attempts for per 60. Two goals on 2.1 expected suggests room for more.
Injury Report
Pittsburgh Penguins
Justin Brazeau (RW) — Out, Lower Body, expected back Tuesday, November 3
Elmer Soderblom (LW) — Injured Reserve, Upper Body, expected back Saturday, November 7
Bryan Rust (RW) — Injured Reserve, Lower Body, expected back Saturday, December 5
Trevor van Riemsdyk (D) — Injured Reserve, Lower Body, expected back Thursday, November 5
Ryan Graves (D) — Injured Reserve, Knee, expected back Saturday, November 28
Montréal Canadiens
Mike Matheson (D) — Day-To-Day, Lower Body, expected back Saturday, October 31
Nick Suzuki (C) — Out, Upper Body, expected back Wednesday, November 18
Sam Montembeault (G) — Injured Reserve, Lower Body, expected back Saturday, October 31
Ivan Demidov (RW) — Injured Reserve, Lower Body, expected back Saturday, October 31
Bryce Pickford (D) — Injured Reserve, Undisclosed, expected back Saturday, October 31
Lucas Condotta (LW) — Injured Reserve, Undisclosed, expected back Saturday, October 31
Betting Odds
Moneyline (DraftKings, as of October 31 at 4:14 AM ET): Pittsburgh Penguins +130, Montréal Canadiens -155.
Odds change through the day; check the sportsbook before betting. 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Next Up
Pittsburgh Penguins: host the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, November 3.
Montréal Canadiens: host the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, November 3.