Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins Picks and Prediction for Saturday, October 25, 2025
We have a Metropolitan Division NHL matchup as the Columbus Blue Jackets are on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday evening inside PPG Paints Arena for our Blue Jackets vs. Penguins prediction. The Blue Jackets (3-4-0, 6 points) are last in the division and are on the second half of a back-to-back as they are at home on Friday night against the Washington Capitals. The Penguins (6-2-0, 12 points) are third in the division as they are on a four-game winning streak as they are coming off a 5-3 road win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday. This is the first of four games against one another, as they will play again at the end of November. Skate to an edge with NHL picks for the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Pittsburgh Penguins.
*written before last night's results
Blue Jackets Looking to Take the Next Step
The Columbus Blue Jackets are 27th in the NHL with 19 goals scored entering this game. Right winger Kirill Marchenko has been leading the way for the team as he has recorded seven points (five goals, two assists) so far this season and recorded an assist with three shot attempts in his last game against the Stars over 17:02 on the ice. Their power play has been right at the league average as they converted on 3-of-15 (20.00 percent) of their attempts as they look to take a step up offensively.
Elvis Merzlikins is expected to be in the net for this game, and he is 2-1-0 with 2.69 goals allowed per game and a .927 save percentage so far. He last played on Tuesday against the Dallas Stars in a win where he allowed one goal on 23 shot attempts. As a team, Columbus is middling on the dominant side of the ice as they rank second in hockey with 16 goals allowed. They are below the league average in terms of killing penalties, as they have killed 12-of-20 (60.00 percent) of them.
Injury Report for Columbus
- Left winger Miles Wood: Upper Body (OUT)
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Penguins Dominating Early On
The Pittsburgh Penguins are doing an amazing job so far, as they rank fourth in the NHL with 28 goals scored thus far and have won four straight games. Center Evgeni Malkin is leading the team as he has 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) thus far, and in his last game against the Florida Panthers, he recorded a pair of assists while attempting no shots during his 15:29 on the ice. They have been significantly better than the league average throughout the season on the power play as they are 7-for-21 (33.33 percent) in those situations.
Arturs Silovs will be between the pipes for this game for Pittsburgh and is 3-1-0 with a .919 save percentage and 2.26 goals allowed up to this point. He won between the pipes last time out against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday as he allowed one goal on 24 shot attempts. Pittsburgh is in seventh place in the sport with just 19 goals allowed so far. They are slightly below the league average at killing penalties as they have killed 19-of-25 (76.00 percent) up to this point.
Injury Report for Pittsburgh
- Goalie Joel Blomqvist: Lower Body (OUT)
- Right winger Kevin Hayes: Upper Body (OUT)
- Left winger Tanner Howe: Knee (OUT)
Columbus Blue Jackets at Pittsburgh Penguins Pick
Spread Pick for Blue Jackets vs. Penguins
- Pittsburgh Penguins -120 (5 units)
The Pittsburgh Penguins are red hot entering this game, while the Columbus Blue Jackets are struggling and in the second half of a back-to-back. There is a massive difference in terms of scoring on the power play as the Penguins are best in the NHL with a 33.3 power play percentage while the Blue Jackets are down at 20th place with a 20.0 power play percentage thus far. Pittsburgh has been one of the best defensive teams and should be able to step up here. All in all, go with the Pittsburgh Penguins to win this game at home.
Over/Under Pick for Blue Jackets vs. Penguins
- OVER 6.5 (4 units)
Neither team has been able to do too well at killing penalties up to this point of the season, as the Blue Jackets rank last in hockey with a 60.0 kill percentage, while the Penguins are 17th with a 76.0 kill percentage entering this game. Offensively, Pittsburgh has scored five goals in each of their last two games, while Columbus has averaged 3.0 goals in their last three games. The over has hit in the last four games against one another, so go with OVER 6.5 GOALS in this game as the better bet.
