Pittsburgh Penguins game vs. Utah Mammoth After a calamitous eight-game stretch in which the Pittsburgh Penguins (5-6-1) won just one game, the Penguins have won two in a row and looked good doing it. The team will host Pittsburgh native Logan Cooley and the Utah Mammoth (8-5-0) Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.

The puck drops just after 7 p.m., and Leaysia Williams performs the Star-Spangled Banner. The Penguins’ makeshift lineup over the last couple of games proved to be more connected and successful than their regular group.

Injuries depleted the Penguins, but recalls of Avery Hayes and Rutger McGroarty, combined with the reinsertion of Hendrix Lapierre, created a scrappy group. The Penguins largely dominated the Nashville Predators but needed a third-period comeback to force overtime.

Rickard Rakell scored with the extra attacker at 18:54, and then Ville Koivunen scored the OT game-winner. Connor Dewar scored the first Penguins goal.

Arturs Silovs stopped 24 of 26 for the win. Utah lost to the Minnesota Wild, 3-1, Tuesday.

Joel Eriksson Ek scored a power-play goal late in the second period, and Kirill Kaprizov added another power-play goal early in the third. Logan Cooley scored Utah’s lone goal at 18:39.

Karel Vejmelka stopped 27 shots for Utah. Minnesota dominated Utah, which managed just nine shots through the first two periods before firing 18 in the third.

Silovs is expected to start for the Penguins as rookie Sergei Murashov remained on the ice for extra work after practice Wednesday. The Penguins also activated Justin Brazeau Wednesday afternoon.

The Penguins assigned Brazeau to a conditioning assignment with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In correlating moves, the team demoted Avery Hayes and defenseman Chase Pietila.

The Penguins’ lineup is getting healthy. Several players are expected to return.

The Penguins will get Ben Kindel back in the lineup Thursday after he suffered a vasovagal event on the team flight home from Salt Lake City. He missed the last two games.

Egor Chinakhov is ready to return from a lower-body injury, and Evgeni Malkin also missed the Nashville game due to illness. Elmer Soderblom will miss the game.

Thursday, he was placed on IR. How to Watch TV: SportsNet Pittsburgh Radio: 105.9 The X Penguins Lines Tommy Novak-Sidney Crosby-Rickard Rakell Egor Chinakhov-Ben Kindel-Evgeni Malkin Andrei Kuzmenko-Hendrix Lapierre-Ville Koivunen Connor Dewar-Blake Lizotte-Nicholas Robertson Defense Spencer Stastney-Erik Karlsson Declan Carlile-Kaedan Korczak Ilya Solovyov-Kris Letang Goalie: Arturs Silovs, expected.

Mammoth Lines Clayton Keller-Nick Schmaltz-Lawson Crouse Logan Cooley-Vincent Trocheck-Dylan Guenther Anders Lee-Barrett Hayton-Kailer Yamamoto Jack McBain-Kevin Stenlund-Liam O’Brien Defense Mikhail Sergachev-MacKenzie Weegar Nate Schmidt-Andrew Peeke Dmitri Simashev-Nick DeSimone Goalie: Karel Vejmelka, expected. Special Teams Penguins power play: 20.6% (17th).

Penguins penalty kill: 83.9% (8th). Mammoth power play: 34.8% (2nd).

Mammoth penalty kill: 67.4% (29th). Penguins Injuries Justin Brazeau (F): Lower-body injury; 12 consecutive games missed Trevor van Riemsdyk (D): Lower-body injury; seven consecutive games missed Sam Girard (D): Lower-body injury; three consecutive games missed Egor Chinakhov (F): Lower-body injury; two consecutive games missed Ben Kindel (F): Vasovagal episode; two consecutive games missed Bryan Rust (F): Lower-body injury; two consecutive games missed 2026-27 regular-season man-games lost: 36 Penguins Game Notes The Penguins have lost both previous games against Utah at PPG Paints Arena (0-1-1).

Egor Chinakhov has three points (1-2-3) in two career games against Utah. Erik Karlsson and New York Rangers D-man Adam Fox are the only defensemen to lead their teams in points outright this season.

Karlsson has 12 points (1-11-12) in 12 games. Tommy Novak has three assists over his last four games and now sits one assist shy of 100 in his career.

The Penguins are 3-0-1 in games that have gone past regulation.