The big variable is that Pittsburgh plays first. The Penguins are in Columbus on Friday, then come home to face Dallas the next night. Dallas will have had a day off after Buffalo. Whatever happens against the Blue Jackets changes how this one looks: a third straight loss or a win to stop the slide, plus a goalie decision on the second night of a back-to-back and legs that just played 60 minutes. None of that is known yet, so this preview stays with what will still be true at puck drop.
Look at who Dallas shut out before you buy the shutout run completely. San Jose played without Macklin Celebrini, and Buffalo had been winning on late comebacks before the Stars built a lead the Sabres couldn't come back from. The Stars only had 1 goal combined in the first 2 games of the year. Pittsburgh has scored in every game, so it's the first real test of whether Oettinger's run is a trend or just a soft schedule.
Dallas is also playing short-handed. Matt Duchene is on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury, retroactive to Sept. 29, and Joel Kiviranta is out, so the middle-six depth is getting stretched. Pittsburgh is without defenseman Ryan Graves indefinitely and without winger Justin Brazeau, both with lower-body injuries. Losing Graves matters more for a team that has given up 13 goals in 4 games.
Puck drops at 7:00 PM ET. Both teams are 2-2-0, and on paper it's the best defensive team on the early schedule against the most fun-to-watch, least reliable offense. If the Penguins come home tired and have to chase, it'll get away from them by the 2nd period. If Rust gets the power play going and Pittsburgh scores early on Oettinger, his run ends in a building that has seen plenty of goals already.