Pittsburgh Penguins News

The Penguins have managed to tread water without Sydney Crosby (lower body) and now Evgeni Malkin (suspension), going 3-2-3 since the Olympic break, partly due to strong netminding from Arturs Silovs. The 24-year-old Latvian goalie only has one loss in his last five outings (4-1-0), posting a solid 2.23 GAA and .917 SV%. The Penguins enter Thursday's contest as +135 road underdogs against the Vegas Golden Knights, a team they defeated 5-0 less than two weeks ago.

Girard has been in and out of the lineup since joining the Penguins, and will miss a second consecutive game due to an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old Girard has seen a slight uptick in icetime since becoming a Penguin, but is still in search of his first point through seven games.

Graves has not played since mid January, but is nearing a return, starting with a conditioning stint with Wiles-Barre/Scranton (AHL). The 30-year-old defenseman is averaging 15:29 time-on-ice an has one goal in 19 games this season. Pittsburgh has recalled Alexander Alexeyev in a corresponding move.

Alexeyev has eight points (1G / 7A) in 80 career NHL games, but has spent the entire 2025-26 season in the AHL. The 26-year-old defenseman has seven points (3G / 4A) in 29 games this season with Wilkes-Barre Scranton (AHL).

Crosby returned to practice last week and continues to make strides towards a return, but will miss at least one more game. The Penguins have managed to stay afloat without their scoring leader, going 3-2-2, but they will be eager to welcome him back into the lineup as they continue their late-season push to return to the postseason.

Brazeau did not play in Pittsburgh's previous game and will remain sidelined on a week-to-week basis due to an upper-body injury. This will be the second time this season that Brazeau will have a prolonged absence due to an injury, which is an unfortunate loss for a team that is already without Evgeni Malkin (suspension) and Sidney Crosby (lower body). The 28-year-old Brazeau has been a surprising offensive contributor for Pittsburgh this season, scoring 30 points (16G / 14A) in 48 games.

Girard has been in and out of the lineup since joining the Penguins, and will return to the sidelines due to an upper-body injury. The 27-year-old Girard has seen a slight uptick in icetime since becoming a Penguin, but is still in search of his first point through seven games.

Malkin was involved in an altercation with Rasmus Dahlin in Thursday's game in which he appeared to slash the Sabres defenceman across the helmet. He was assessed a two-minute minor for cross-checking, a five-minute major for slashing, and a game misconduct. Dahlin was also assessed a two-minute minor for cross checking on the play. It's the third time in Malkin's 20-year-career that he has been suspended. He was previously suspended one game for high-sticking in 2019, and four games for cross-checking in 2022.

Koivunen has not appeared in an NHL game since January 4th. The 22-year-old forward has five points (2G / 3A) in 27 games with Pittsburgh this season.

Gauthier is an undrafted goalie who has seen sparse action at the AHL level, but has primarily made his presence felt in the ECHL. The 25-year-old has a 2.07 GAA and .924 SV% in 22 games (11-6-5) with the Wheeling Nailers this season.

Soderblom has had trouble establishing himself with the Detroit Red Wings and hopes a new change of scenery, joining the Pittsburgh Penguins, will help offensively. The towering 6'8 forward scored three points (2G / 1A) in 39 games with the Red Wings this season.

Crosby did not play in the final two games for Team Canada at the Olympics due to a lower-body injury and has been sidelined since. Crosby is still about two weeks away from his original return timeline, and it's unclear if that has been altered, but his presence at practice is an encouraging sign for a Penguins team battling to return to the postseason. The 38-year-old Crosby is leading the Penguins with 59 points (27G / 32A) through 56 games.

Lizotte is battling a lower-body injury did not play on Tuesday, but should be ready for Thursday's game against the Buffalo Sabres. The 28-year-old Lizotte is averaging 13:47 time-on-ice and has 19 points (7G / 12A) in 49 games this season.

While Stuart Skinner has been serviceable for the Penguins, Silovs has quietly taken the reins in their crease and will look to continue his stellar play on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 24-year-old Silovs saved all 22 shots he faced in his most recent outing, a 5-0 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, for his second shutout of the season. Silovs has won five of his last six games (5-1-0) while boasting a tremendous 1.68 GAA and .939 SV%. The Penguins enter Thursday's contest as slight -101 home underdogs against a surging Sabres team riding a four-game winning streak.