Columbus Blue Jackets vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction 10/9/26 NHL Picks Today

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Columbus Blue Jackets meet Friday in NHL action from the Nationwide Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets prediction.

Pittsburgh Penguins Recap

The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this game looking to bounce back from a 5-3 loss at the hands of Washington last time out to sit at 2-2 this season. After this game, Pittsburgh will head home for a game against the Dallas Stars.

Penguins Drop Back-To-Back Games

Tommy Novak leads the Pittsburgh Penguins through four games this season with a team-high 5 points and 3 goals. Evgeni Malkin, Ben Kindel, Declan Carlile, Kaedan Korczak, Samuel Girard, and Erik Karlsson sit right behind him tied with 4 points apiece, with Korczak and Karlsson pacing the club with 4 assists each. Kris Letang, Hendrix Lapierre, Nick Robertson, and Filip Hallander have each posted 3 points, while Sidney Crosby, Ville Koivunen, Egor Chinakhov, and Rickard Rakell have each added 2 points to round out Pittsburgh’s scoring leaders. In net, Arturs Silovs holds a 2-1 record with a 3.38 GAA and an .859 save percentage after stopping 61 of 71 shots, while Sergei Murashov has recorded an 0-1 record with a 3.14 GAA and a .912 save percentage after stopping 31 of 34 shots for the Penguins up to this point in the season.

Columbus Blue Jackets Recap

The Columbus Blue Jackets come into this game looking to bounce back from a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Utah Mammoth last time out to sit at 1-1 this season. After this game, Columbus will head home for a game against the St. Louis Blues.

Blue Jackets Looking To Rebound

Matthew Knies leads the Columbus Blue Jackets through two games this season with a team-high 4 points, pacing the club with 2 goals while adding 2 assists. Charlie Coyle sits in second with 3 points, leading the team with 3 assists. Zach Werenski and Kent Johnson have each posted 2 points, while Adam Fantilli, Denton Mateychuk, Dmitri Voronkov, Cole Sillinger, Emil Andrae, Mathieu Olivier, Valeri Nichushkin, and Sean Monahan have each recorded 1 point to round out Columbus’s scoring. In net, Jet Greaves has handled both starts with a 1-1-0 record, posting a 3.50 GAA and an .877 save percentage after stopping 50 of 57 shots for the Blue Jackets up to this point in the season.

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Trends: October 9, 2026

Why the Columbus Blue Jackets will win

• The Blue Jackets have won each of their last four home games when playing with a rest advantage.
• The Penguins have lost five of their last six away games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
• The Blue Jackets have covered the puck line in each of their last four games when playing with a rest advantage against Penguins.
• The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in seven of their last nine games when playing with a rest disadvantage against Blue Jackets.
• The Penguins have lost the third period in each of their last seven games when trailing after the second period.

Why the Pittsburgh Penguins will win

• The Blue Jackets have lost each of their last six games as favorites.
• The underdogs have won seven of the Blue Jackets’ last eight games.
• The Blue Jackets have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last 16 games as favorites following a loss.
• The underdogs have covered the puck line in eight of the last nine games between the Penguins and Blue Jackets.
• The Blue Jackets have lost the third period in seven of their last eight games as favorites following a home loss.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the last eight games between the Penguins and Blue Jackets have gone OVER the total goals line.
• Each of the Penguins’ last four night games at Nationwide Arena have gone OVER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Blue Jackets’ last 16 home games against the Penguins.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Penguins’ last 15 night games at Nationwide Arena.

Columbus Blue Jackets Player Prop Facts

• Zach Werenski has scored a goal in each of the Blue Jackets’ last four home games against the Penguins.
• Zach Werenski has recorded at least one assist in eight of his last nine home appearances against Metropolitan Division opponents.
• Zach Werenski ranks 1st in the league for average time on ice (30:15) this season.

Pittsburgh Penguins Player Prop Facts

• Rickard Rakell has scored at least one goal in four of his last five appearances against the Blue Jackets.
• Kris Letang has recorded an assist in each of his last four appearances in night games at Nationwide Arena.
• Ville Koivunen ranks T1st in the Eastern Conference for Plus/Minus (+5) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Columbus Blue Jackets rank T1st in the league in power play percentage this season (40.00%).
• The Columbus Blue Jackets rank T25th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (66.67%).
• The Pittsburgh Penguins rank 3rd in the league for goals per game this season (4.50).
• The Pittsburgh Penguins rank T7th in the league in power play percentage this season (30.77%).

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction

I’m on the Penguins in this one. I just feel like at its core, Pittsburgh is the better team in this matchup and the team I trust more for offensive production in this matchup. The goaltending has been shaky on both sides, but Pittsburgh’s got more going for them positively, and I think the Penguins pick up the win. Give me Pittsburgh.