New Jersey Devils vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction & Picks – 2/26/2026

The New Jersey Devils travel to Pittsburgh on Thursday night to take on the Penguins in a Metropolitan Division matchup. This is the first game out of the Olympic break for the Penguins, while the Devils resumed their season on Wednesday night. Will the Devils get a much-needed win, or will the Penguins get a victory against a team on the second night of a back-to-back? Get my take on this game below, as I make my Devils vs Penguins prediction in the betting markets.

Our Devils vs Penguins Pick

Pick:

Confidence: 2 out of 5

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Game Snapshot

• Matchup: New Jersey Devils vs Pittsburgh Penguins
• Date & Time: Thursday, February 26, 2026, 7:00 PM ET
• Venue: PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Broadcast: ESPN+

Key Storylines

Recent form

Pittsburgh is restarting its season after the Olympic break here, having won their last game before the break. Conversely, the Devils played on Wednesday, losing 2-1 to the Buffalo Sabres. That was the fourth loss in a row for the Devils, who will try to snap that losing streak despite the fact that several of their key contributors were involved in the recent Olympic games.

Goaltending

Goaltenders will be crucial in this matchup, as both teams need reliable netminding to secure points in what could be a tight battle. Jake Allen is expected to get the nod for the Devils, who has a solid 2.66 GAA going into this matchup. He is likely to be opposed by Stuart Skinner of the Pens, who was not involved in the Olympics, while Pens netminder Arturs Silovs was a part of Latvia’s Olympic team.

Key skaters

The big question going into this game is who will and won’t be on the ice on both sides. Sidney Crosby is a key figure for the Pens, but he is expected to miss several weeks after suffering an injury in Milan, which is a nightmare scenario for Pittsburgh. Jack Hughes had his teeth demolished during the gold medal game for Team USA against Canada, but could play in this contest for New Jersey.

Betting Trends & H2H

• These teams are 1-1 against each other this season, with the home teams going 2-0 in this series this year.
• New Jersey is 15-15-0 on the road so far this year.
• Pittsburgh has a 13-8-7 record on home ice this season.

Devils vs Penguins Model Projection

Score Projection:

Win Probability:

Final Thoughts

Jay Sanin

Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.

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