Golden Knights Vs Penguins: Pittsburgh Opens a 17-Game March Stretch at Home
The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Vegas Golden Knights in a nationally televised matchup that kicks off a 17-game March slate for the Penguins, a stretch that will shape their postseason positioning. golden knights vs penguins matters now because both clubs enter with top-10 special-teams units and contrasting recent form that could determine points in a crowded race.
Golden Knights Vs Penguins: Records and Special-Teams Rankings
Vegas enters with a 28-17-14 record and 70 points, holding first place in the Pacific Division, while Pittsburgh is 30-15-13 with 73 points and sits second in the Metropolitan Division. The two clubs are unique in the league: the Penguins boast the No. 3 power play and the No. 2 penalty kill, and the Golden Knights carry the No. 5 power play and the No. 10 penalty kill, the only pair of teams that both have their special teams units in the NHL top-10 this season. Their shootout woes also stand out — combined the teams are 2-14 in shootouts, with Pittsburgh 1-8 and Vegas 1-6.
Penguins' March Schedule and Immediate Path Ahead
Today’s game marks the start of a heavy March calendar for Pittsburgh: 17 games in the month. The team will travel to Boston on Tuesday, then return home for three games — Buffalo on Thursday followed by visits from Philadelphia and Boston the next weekend — before embarking on a five-game road trip. The season series between these cross-conference opponents will conclude when Pittsburgh visits Las Vegas on Thursday, March 12.
Vegas Eastern Swing, Recent Results and Lineup
Vegas is in the second game of a four-game eastern swing. The Golden Knights won their Olympic return game on Wednesday against Los Angeles but dropped the first leg of this swing, a 3-2 regulation loss to Washington on Friday. After the Pittsburgh stop, Vegas will head to Buffalo on Tuesday and Detroit on Wednesday. Projected Vegas forward groupings include Ivan Barbashev with Jack Eichel and Mark Stone; Pavel Dorofeyev with Mitch Marner and Reilly Smith; Braeden Bowman with Tomas Hertl and Keegan Kolesar; and Brandon Saad with Colton Sissons and Alexander Holtz. The Golden Knights have multiple players on injured reserve: Carter Hart, Alex Pietrangelo, William Karlsson and Brett Howden.
What the Penguins Need: Even-Strength Scoring and Recent Form
Pittsburgh’s primary question is how the offense will generate 5-on-5 production against an opponent that suppresses shots and chances. Vegas has a process that keeps those metrics down, but the Golden Knights concede a disproportionate number of 5-on-5 goals because of inconsistent goaltending; that dynamic puts a premium on Pittsburgh’s even-strength finishing. In the two games following the break without Sidney Crosby, the Penguins produced only one 5-on-5 goal from a forward — Egor Chinakhov’s tally against New Jersey — with the other even-strength goals coming from defensemen Connor Clifton and Ryan Shea. The line combinations penciled in for Pittsburgh include Egor Chinakhov alongside Tommy Novak and Evgeni Malkin; Avery Hayes with Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust; and Anthony Mantha with Ben Kindel and Justin Brazeau. Anthony Mantha scored on the power play in the team’s most recent game; Bryan Rust has been getting looks, and Ben Kindel, Evgeni Malkin and Tommy Novak each registered six shots on goal in the prior outing against the Rangers.
Across the NHL: Islanders, Panthers, Wild, Blues and Ducks Updates
The NHL slate for Sunday includes six games, two nationally televised in the United States and one in Canada. The New York Islanders play their first home game since the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic break when they host the Florida Panthers at UBS Arena at 6: 30 p. m. ET. The Islanders are 16-10-2 at home and 11-4-0 in their past 15 home games since Dec. 2, with three shutouts on home ice — one fewer than the St. Louis Blues for the NHL lead. New York has won four straight and is 8-0 in games decided in overtime. Mathew Barzal has a six-game point streak with 10 points (four goals, six assists) after posting two assists in a 4-3 overtime win at Columbus on Saturday. The Islanders sit 34-21-5 and are third in the Metropolitan Division, four points clear of the Washington Capitals.
The Florida Panthers are 30-26-3, have lost six of eight (2-6-0) and trail the Boston Bruins by eight points for the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Matthew Tkachuk, fresh off winning Olympic gold with Team USA, has scored in Florida’s first two games since the break, including a goal in a 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Friday. Brad Marchand, at 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists), is on pace for his first 30-goal season since 2021-22 and, by seasonal trajectory, could reach the first 40-goal campaign of his NHL career; at 37 years old, his next goal would surpass Jaromir Jagr’s mark for most goals in a season by a Panthers skater aged 35 or older.
