Game Preview: Winnipeg Jets @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3/21/2026

Who: Winnipeg Jets (28-29-11, 67 points, 6th place Central Division) @ Pittsburgh Penguins (34-18-16, 84 points, 2nd place Metropolitan Division)

When: 1 p.m. ET

How to Watch: Locally broadcast on Sportsnet Pittsburgh and TSN3, national feed on NHL Network

Pens’ Path Ahead: The Penguins have two brutal rematches coming up during this three-game homestand, starting with meeting the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday for the second half of a back-to-back. The Pens then get a day off before reuniting with the visiting Carolina Hurricanes next Tuesday.

Opponent Track: The Jets are heading into Saturday’s matinee on a two-game losing streak after dropping a 4-3 shootout decision to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday before getting blown out 6-1 by the Boston Bruins on Thursday.

Season Series: The Jets opened the Nov. 1 matchup between these teams with four straight goals, capped off by Kyle Connor’s short-handed penalty shot, on their way to claiming a 5-2 win over the visiting Pens.

Getting to know the Jets

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Alex Iafallo

Cole Perfetti – Adam Lowry – Gabriel Vilardi

Gustav Nyquist – Jonathan Toews – Isak Rosen

Cole Koepke – Morgan Barron – Brad Lambert

DEFENSEMEN

Josh Morrissey / Dylan DeMelo

Dylan Samberg / Elias Salomonsson

Haydn Fleury / Jacob Bryson

Goalies: Connor Hellebuyck / Eric Comrie

Potential scratches: Vladislav Namestnikov, Ville Heinola

Injured Reserve: Neal Pionk, Colin Miller, Nino Niederreiter

The Jets have just three players this season with more than 15 goals, and they’re all in their top six (Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabriel Vilardi).
Connor Hellebuyck is coming off one of the worst starts of his recent regular-season career after allowing six goals in Thursday’s blowout loss to the Boston Bruin.

Season stats
via hockeydb

The Jets are in a tough spot. They’re technically still in the playoff race (five points back, 14 games remaining). They’re also currently projected to select sixth in the NHL draft lottery by Tankathon. Angling for better lottery odds could be a good move for a franchise theoretically hoping to take advantage of the remaining competitive window around their core of Mark Scheifele (33 years old), Kyle Connor (29) and Connor Hellebuyck (32) by bouncing back next season.

And now for the Pens

Projected lines

FORWARDS

Rickard Rakell – Sidney Crosby – Bryan Rust

Egor Chinakhov – Tommy Novak – Evgeni Malkin

Anthony Mantha – Ben Kindel – Justin Brazeau

Elmer Soderblom – Connor Dewar – Noel Acciari

DEFENSEMEN

Parker Wotherspoon / Erik Karlsson

Sam Girard / Kris Letang

Ryan Shea / Connor Clifton

Goalies: Arturs Silovs and Stuart Skinner

Potential Scratches: Ilya Solovyov, Ryan Graves, Kevin Hayes, Jack St. Ivany, Ville Koivunen

IR: Sidney Crosby, Filip Hallander, Blake Lizotte

Looks like Sam Girard, who has missed five games with a lower-body injury, could draw back into the lineup after taking regular line rushes during Friday’s practice. That’s set to place him back on the second pairing alongside Kris Letang while bumping Ilya Solovyov from the lineup.
Ryan Graves and Jack St. Ivany were both participating in Friday’s practice as well, although they were doing so on the extra pairing.
Erik Karlsson was named the NHLPA’s Player of the Week on Friday for his efforts to keep the Pens afloat on their recent road trip.

Eastern Conference playoff hopefuls just won’t stop winning. The race is so tight that a regulation loss for the Penguins could mean not only falling out of the top three in the Metro but all the way out of a postseason spot altogether. Here’s a look at the out-of-town schedule to keep an eye on tonight.