Pittsburgh Penguins Line Matchups
2026-27 · 2-0-0 · 4 pts · 1st Metropolitan
How the Penguins match lines at 5-on-5: who they send against the other team's top line, how hard they match at home, where they change last, versus on the road, and which players carry the toughest minutes. This is the Last-Change Fingerprint.
Next game, Oct 5
The Penguins have last change at home. Minutes are expected 5v5 time together; the ratio compares it with coaches ignoring matchups (1.00×).
Jets
- Line 1Scheifele – Connor – Vilardivs PIT Crosby line 5.2 min (1.18×) · vs PIT Karlsson pair 6.4 min (1.15×)
- Line 2Perfetti – Iafallo – Barronvs PIT Crosby line 4.1 min (1.02×) · vs PIT Karlsson pair 4.9 min (0.97×)
- Line 3Lowry – Björck – Niederreitervs PIT Crosby line 3.1 min (0.86×) · vs PIT Girard pair 4.2 min (1.02×)
- Line 4Lambert – Rosen – Namestnikovvs PIT Robertson line 2.7 min (1.02×) · vs PIT van Riemsdyk pair 4.2 min (1.31×)
- Pair 1Pionk – Morrisseyvs PIT Crosby line 6.2 min (1.09×) · vs PIT Karlsson pair 7.6 min (1.06×)
- Pair 2Samberg – DeMelovs PIT Crosby line 5.7 min (1.04×) · vs PIT Karlsson pair 7.2 min (1.02×)
- Pair 3FerraroNew team · 1 GP with WPG – Bauervs PIT Dewar line 2.9 min (1.19×) · vs PIT van Riemsdyk pair 3.8 min (1.14×)
Penguins
- Line 1Crosby – Rakell – Malkinvs WPG Scheifele line 5.2 min (1.18×) · vs WPG Pionk pair 6.2 min (1.09×)
- Line 2RobertsonNew team · 2 GP with PIT – Chinakhov – Novakvs WPG Scheifele line 4.0 min (1.03×) · vs WPG Samberg pair 5.0 min (1.03×)
- Line 3Dewar – Lizotte – Kindelvs WPG Scheifele line 3.2 min (0.96×) · vs WPG Pionk pair 4.2 min (0.97×)
- Line 4LapierreNew team · 2 GP with PIT – KuzmenkoNew team · 1 GP with PIT – Hallandervs WPG Lowry line 2.5 min (1.15×) · vs WPG Pionk pair 3.4 min (0.97×)
- Pair 1Karlsson – Letangvs WPG Scheifele line 6.4 min (1.15×) · vs WPG Pionk pair 7.6 min (1.06×)
- Pair 2Girard – KorczakNew team · 2 GP with PITvs WPG Scheifele line 5.3 min (1.04×) · vs WPG Pionk pair 6.5 min (0.99×)
- Pair 3van RiemsdykNew team · 2 GP with PIT – CarlileNew team · 2 GP with PITvs WPG Perfetti line 4.3 min (1.03×) · vs WPG Samberg pair 5.5 min (0.96×)
Full line-vs-line grid
| PIT | Line 1Scheifele | Line 2Perfetti | Line 3Lowry | Line 4Lambert | Pair 1Pionk | Pair 2Samberg | Pair 3Ferraro |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line 1 Crosby | 5.2(1.2) | 4.1(1.0) | 3.1(0.9) | 2.7(0.9) | 6.2(1.1) | 5.7(1.0) | 2.4(0.8) |
| Line 2 Robertson | 4.0(1.0) | 3.5(1.0) | 2.9(0.9) | 2.7(1.0) | 4.9(1.0) | 5.0(1.0) | 2.7(1.0) |
| Line 3 Dewar | 3.2(1.0) | 2.9(0.9) | 3.0(1.1) | 2.2(1.0) | 4.2(1.0) | 4.0(0.9) | 2.9(1.2) |
| Line 4 Lapierre | 2.1(0.8) | 2.4(1.0) | 2.5(1.1) | 2.2(1.2) | 3.4(1.0) | 3.3(1.0) | 2.3(1.2) |
| Pair 1 Karlsson | 6.4(1.1) | 4.9(1.0) | 4.2(0.9) | 3.5(0.9) | 7.6(1.1) | 7.2(1.0) | 3.6(0.9) |
| Pair 2 Girard | 5.3(1.0) | 4.8(1.0) | 4.2(1.0) | 3.1(0.9) | 6.5(1.0) | 6.4(1.0) | 3.7(1.0) |
| Pair 3 van Riemsdyk | 3.4(0.7) | 4.3(1.0) | 4.1(1.1) | 4.2(1.3) | 5.4(0.9) | 5.5(1.0) | 3.8(1.1) |
- With last change at home, the Penguins are one of the least matchup-driven benches in the league (31st of 32 by matching intensity).
- At home their top line meets the other team's top line about as often as random mixing would give (1.04×).
- They match lines at least as hard on the road as at home (intensity 0.07 vs 0.04), changing on the fly to get their matchups.
From the last 30 home and 30 road games with shift data (this season and last), as of Oct 4, 2026. Ratios are shrunk toward 1.00 for small samples.
At home: with last change
| Penguins | Opp Line 1 | Opp Line 2 | Opp Line 3 | Opp Line 4 | Opp Pair 1 | Opp Pair 2 | Opp Pair 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | 1.04 | 1.10 | 0.92 | 0.91 | 1.04 | 1.03 | 0.89 |
| Line 2 | 0.99 | 1.01 | 1.00 | 1.01 | 1.00 | 1.02 | 0.96 |
| Line 3 | 1.01 | 0.93 | 1.03 | 1.03 | 0.99 | 0.96 | 1.07 |
| Line 4 | 0.95 | 0.91 | 1.08 | 1.05 | 0.97 | 0.98 | 1.12 |
| Pair 1 | 1.05 | 1.01 | 0.94 | 0.99 | 1.04 | 0.99 | 0.94 |
| Pair 2 | 1.00 | 1.02 | 1.02 | 0.96 | 0.97 | 1.02 | 0.99 |
| Pair 3 | 0.93 | 0.97 | 1.05 | 1.09 | 0.96 | 0.97 | 1.08 |
On the road
| Penguins | Opp Line 1 | Opp Line 2 | Opp Line 3 | Opp Line 4 | Opp Pair 1 | Opp Pair 2 | Opp Pair 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | 1.09 | 1.19 | 0.89 | 0.73 | 1.10 | 1.07 | 0.76 |
| Line 2 | 1.10 | 0.96 | 0.94 | 0.97 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 0.96 |
| Line 3 | 0.88 | 0.91 | 1.10 | 1.17 | 0.92 | 0.97 | 1.16 |
| Line 4 | 0.90 | 0.89 | 1.09 | 1.15 | 0.96 | 0.94 | 1.18 |
| Pair 1 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 1.01 | 0.98 | 1.05 | 0.96 | 0.95 |
| Pair 2 | 1.06 | 0.99 | 0.96 | 0.98 | 0.96 | 1.05 | 0.97 |
| Pair 3 | 0.91 | 0.99 | 1.05 | 1.09 | 0.95 | 0.96 | 1.09 |
Player competition
Each skater's 5v5 time against each of the opponent's units, as a ratio to random mixing, over his recent games (both venues). Above 1.00 against L1 and P1: he draws top competition.
| Player | Role | GP | Opp L1 | Opp L2 | Opp L3 | Opp L4 | Opp P1 | Opp P2 | Opp P3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby | Line 1 · 15.3 min | 40 | 1.20 | 1.10 | 0.83 | 0.73 | 1.13 | 1.15 | 0.59 |
| Rickard Rakell | Line 1 · 14.2 min | 40 | 1.09 | 1.09 | 0.91 | 0.83 | 1.14 | 1.13 | 0.62 |
| Evgeni Malkin | Line 1 · 14.0 min | 40 | 0.98 | 1.09 | 1.00 | 0.90 | 1.02 | 1.04 | 0.91 |
| Nick Robertson | Line 2 · 13.3 min | 2 | 1.09 | 0.93 | 0.93 | 1.04 | 1.02 | 1.07 | 0.89 |
| Egor Chinakhov | Line 2 · 12.7 min | 40 | 1.04 | 1.08 | 0.97 | 0.84 | 1.03 | 1.02 | 0.93 |
| Tommy Novak | Line 2 · 12.5 min | 40 | 0.98 | 1.03 | 1.01 | 0.97 | 1.01 | 0.95 | 1.03 |
| Connor Dewar | Line 3 · 11.4 min | 40 | 1.10 | 0.91 | 0.90 | 1.06 | 0.94 | 0.90 | 1.24 |
| Blake Lizotte | Line 3 · 11.1 min | 40 | 1.07 | 0.85 | 0.98 | 1.11 | 0.93 | 0.95 | 1.20 |
| Ben Kindel | Line 3 · 10.7 min | 40 | 0.86 | 0.97 | 1.13 | 1.07 | 0.93 | 0.94 | 1.22 |
| Hendrix Lapierre | Line 4 · 9.8 min | 2 | 0.85 | 1.03 | 1.06 | 1.06 | 0.91 | 1.02 | 1.15 |
| Andrei Kuzmenko | Line 4 · 8.8 min | 1 | 0.88 | 0.93 | 1.12 | 1.08 | 0.94 | 0.98 | 1.15 |
| Filip Hallander | Line 4 · 8.4 min | 15 | 0.85 | 0.92 | 1.20 | 1.06 | 1.12 | 0.98 | 0.91 |
| Erik Karlsson | Pair 1 · 18.5 min | 40 | 1.09 | 0.99 | 0.91 | 1.00 | 1.02 | 1.07 | 0.86 |
| Kris Letang | Pair 1 · 18.5 min | 40 | 0.94 | 1.08 | 1.04 | 0.95 | 1.03 | 0.96 | 0.98 |
| Samuel Girard | Pair 2 · 18.3 min | 28 | 1.03 | 1.00 | 1.03 | 0.94 | 0.99 | 0.97 | 1.02 |
| Kaedan Korczak | Pair 2 · 15.5 min | 2 | 1.08 | 0.91 | 1.01 | 0.99 | 1.00 | 0.96 | 1.04 |
| Trevor van Riemsdyk | Pair 3 · 15.4 min | 2 | 0.89 | 1.09 | 1.10 | 0.96 | 1.06 | 1.00 | 0.93 |
| Declan Carlile | Pair 3 · 15.2 min | 2 | 0.96 | 0.97 | 0.96 | 1.15 | 0.85 | 1.03 | 1.15 |
Every game tonight
These habits drive the Matchup Forecast. It projects which line and pair each player faces tonight, for every game. Also see the Penguins line combinations and the methodology.
FAQ
Who do the Penguins match against the other team's top line?
At home, with last change, the Penguins' pair 1 (D) sees top lines 1.05× as often as random mixing, and among depth forwards line 3 gets the most top-line minutes (1.01×). The full grid and each player's numbers are on this page.
What is a Last-Change Fingerprint?
It's a coach's line-matching habit, measured from shift charts. Each cell compares the 5-on-5 time one of his units spent against one of the opponent's units with what it would have been if he ignored matchups. 1.00× is random mixing, above it is a matchup he seeks, below it one he avoids. It's measured separately at home, where the home coach changes last, and on the road.
How do the Penguins' matchups affect fantasy hockey?
A forward who regularly draws the other team's top line and top pair faces tougher competition than his raw numbers suggest. A sheltered line gets softer minutes. Tonight's Matchup Forecast applies these habits to each game's projected lineups.