Penguins vs. Blue Jackets Prediction & Picks - Oct. 9

The Columbus Blue Jackets (1-1) host the Pittsburgh Penguins (2-2) at Nationwide Arena on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+, with both teams fresh off of a loss. The Blue Jackets are coming off a 4-1 defeat to the Utah Mammoth, while the Penguins fell to the Washington Capitals 5-3 in their most recent outing.

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Ahead of watching this matchup, here is a glimpse at which squad we pick to emerge with the victory in Friday's action on the ice.

Penguins vs. Blue Jackets Predictions for Friday

Our computer projections model for this contest expects a final tally of Penguins 4, Blue Jackets 3.

• Moneyline Pick: Penguins (+102)
• Total Pick: Over 6.5 (computer predicts 7.4 goals on average)
• Spread Pick: Penguins (+1.5)

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Blue Jackets Splits and Trends

• The Blue Jackets had a 40-30-12 record overall, with a 12-12-24 record in games that needed overtime, last season.
• Columbus picked up 32 points (11-13-10) in the 34 games it played that were decided by one goal.
• Looking at the 17 times last season the Blue Jackets ended a game with only one goal, they had a 3-11-3 record, picking up nine points.
• Columbus lost all 11 games last season when it scored exactly two goals.
• The Blue Jackets were 37-4-9 when they scored more than two goals (to register 83 points).
• In the 23 games when Columbus recorded a lone power-play goal, it had a 15-3-5 record (35 points).
• In the 47 games when it outshot its opponent, Columbus was 24-16-7 (55 points).
• The Blue Jackets were outshot by their opponent 33 times, and went 15-13-5 (35 points).

Penguins Splits and Trends

• The Penguins had a 7-17-24 record in overtime games last season, and a 41-25-16 overall record.
• Pittsburgh accumulated 27 points (10-8-7) in its 25 games that finished with a one-goal margin.
• Last season the Penguins scored just one goal in eight games, and went 0-5-3 (three points).
• Pittsburgh picked up four points (0-9-4 record) last season when scoring two goals .
• The Penguins scored more than two goals 60 times, accumulating 95 points (43-8-9).
• Last season Pittsburgh scored a lone power-play goal in 30 games and registered 37 points, with a record of 15-8-7.
• When it outshot its opponent last season, Pittsburgh posted a record of 22-16-10 (54 points).
• The Penguins were outshot by their opponents 35 times last season, and took 39 points from those games.

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Team Stats Comparison (2025-26)

Penguins vs. Blue Jackets Game Time and TV Channel

• When: Friday, October 9, 2026 at 7 p.m. ET
• TV Channel: ESPN+
• Live Stream: Watch this game on ESPN+
• Where: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio

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