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  3. Pittsburgh Penguins vs Chicago Blackhawks
Tue 8:00 PM ET
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Pittsburgh Penguins1113
Chicago Blackhawks2125
NHL · Pittsburgh Penguins at Chicago Blackhawks

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Pittsburgh Penguins vs Chicago Blackhawks prediction, odds and best bet for Oct. 13, 2026

Game time: October 13, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET

Venue: United Center — Chicago, IL

Article updated Oct 13, 7:36 AM EDT

By SportsJaw Editorial Team

The Pittsburgh Penguins are projected to beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2, with Pittsburgh’s strong penalty killing and production from defensemen supplying the strongest matchup reasons. Connor Bedard’s possible season debut introduces uncertainty for Chicago. The supplied puck-line and total prices offer no clear betting edge, so the official recommendation is Pass despite the Penguins being the pick to win.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Chicago Blackhawks prediction and best bet

Pittsburgh is the pick in this Oct. 13, 2026 matchup in the 2026-27 NHL season. The Penguins bring encouraging defensive results and several sources of offense into United Center. Those strengths favor the visitors, although the evidence points more clearly toward a winner than toward a profitable margin or total.

The best betting decision is Pass. Pittsburgh’s early defensive numbers help explain the forecast, but they are insufficient to price a two-goal victory or the likelihood of seven combined goals. Bedard’s possible return adds another meaningful variable. This is a low-confidence Penguins forecast with no official wager.

Odds, game time and how to watch

Time: Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, at 8 p.m. ET.

Venue: United Center in Chicago.

Broadcast: CHSN and SN-PIT, according to NHL.com.

SportsJaw moneyline: Pittsburgh Penguins -139; Chicago Blackhawks +123.

SportsJaw puck line: Pittsburgh -1.5 (+180); Chicago +1.5 (-210).

SportsJaw total: Over 6.5 (-105); Under 6.5 (-109).

Pittsburgh Penguins outlook

21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Picks are opinions, not guarantees. Past results do not predict future outcomes.

The Penguins’ official preview reported a .909 team save percentage, eighth in the NHL, and a 94.1 percent penalty kill, tied for second. Those are useful reasons to favor Pittsburgh’s ability to limit damage, particularly when shorthanded. They remain team results, however, rather than a guarantee about any individual goaltender’s performance.

Pittsburgh also entered with 21 points from defensemen, second in the league. That production gives the win forecast an offensive foundation beyond its forwards. Erik Karlsson had seven points in his previous 10 games against Chicago, adding a favorable individual history to the broader blue-line contribution.

The Penguins projected Sidney Crosby between Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust. Crosby had two assists through six games, while Rust had 14 points in 14 career appearances against Chicago. The projected combination gives Pittsburgh another route to offense, but Crosby’s opening production counsels against assuming a dominant scoring night.

Chicago Blackhawks outlook

Chicago’s biggest personnel question is Bedard. NHL.com reported that he could return from offseason shoulder surgery and make his season debut against Pittsburgh. A possible return matters to the forecast, but his participation and immediate effectiveness should remain open questions.

Patrick Kane had one goal and one assist through six games. NHL.com highlighted the Blackhawks alternate captain’s matchup with Penguins captain Crosby, though neither player’s reported opening production alone argues for a high-scoring game.

Chicago’s upset scenario would be an immediate contribution from Bedard if he plays, coupled with enough offense from Kane to challenge Pittsburgh’s defensive results. That is a plausible counterargument to the road favorite, not a reason to assume a particular Chicago line combination or a successful return from surgery.

Key matchup factors

Recent meetings favor Pittsburgh. The Penguins swept last season’s two games by a combined 13-5 and earned points in eight of the previous 11 meetings, going 7-3-1. That history reinforces the winner selection, but its scoring margin should not be carried directly into this game.

SportsJaw’s consensus update at 11:20 a.m. UTC on Oct. 13 showed Pittsburgh -139 leading member picks at 60 percent and qualified handicapper picks at 60 percent. The separate sportsbook split favored Pittsburgh at 82 percent, with the published blend at 78 percent. These measure selection preference, not Pittsburgh’s probability of winning.

The moneyline consensus recorded a 12-percentage-point move toward Pittsburgh from the Oct. 12 snapshot. That strengthens the picture of support for the Penguins, but popularity alone does not make the favorite a value bet or establish a puck-line edge.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Chicago Blackhawks spread prediction

Pass on Pittsburgh -1.5 (+180) and Chicago +1.5 (-210). The 3-2 forecast puts Chicago within the spread, but a single projected score offers too little justification for paying -210 for that outcome.

Pittsburgh’s series history makes a wider victory plausible. Still, the Penguins must win by at least two goals to cover -1.5, a stronger proposition than simply winning. The evidence favors Pittsburgh without making that margin reliable enough to recommend the plus-money puck line.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Chicago Blackhawks total prediction

Pass on the total: Over 6.5 (-105) and Under 6.5 (-109). The five-goal projection falls below the line, and Pittsburgh’s defensive results favor that direction. They do not provide a complete picture of both teams’ expected scoring.

Over 6.5 (-105) leads both SportsJaw member picks and qualified handicapper picks at 67 percent. Those preferences are separate from scoring probabilities. Bedard’s possible debut and Pittsburgh’s blue-line offense also complicate the Under case, leaving neither price attractive enough for an official wager.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Chicago Blackhawks Projected Score & Betting Picks

Game forecast: Pittsburgh Penguins 3, Chicago Blackhawks 2. Pittsburgh’s penalty killing, team save percentage and defensive scoring contributions provide the strongest combined case for victory. Chicago’s best counterargument is an effective Bedard return.

Confidence is low because the Chicago outlook hinges partly on an uncertain debut, while Pittsburgh’s favorable results do not settle the winning margin. Pittsburgh remains the projected winner. Both the puck line and total are passes, and the single official SportsJaw betting recommendation is Pass.

SportsJawGame Predictions
Predicted score

Penguins3

Blackhawks2

Projected winner Pittsburgh PenguinsConfidencelow
Pick on the Spread

Published pick: Pass on Pittsburgh -1.5 (+180) and Chicago +1.5 (-210)

Pick on the Total

Published pick: Pass on Over 6.5 (-105) and Under 6.5 (-109)

Sources

  • NHL.comCrosby vs. Kane among Frozen Frenzy highlights, according to NHL.com writers
  • Pittsburgh PenguinsGame Preview: 10.13.26 at Chicago Blackhawks
#PittsburghPenguins#ChicagoBlackhawks

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Written by

SportsJaw Editorial Team

SportsJaw's editorial organization researches matchup data, current odds, injuries and reporting, then validates each published preview against its listed sources and displayed markets.

About our editorial process

SportsJaw Penguins vs Blackhawks game preview analysis and predictions incorporate current odds, injury reports, team statistics and market data. Information is updated regularly, but lines and player availability can change. Please confirm current information before wagering. View history of past Penguins vs Blackhawks matchups or learn how our predictions work.

Current matchup data

Lines, trends and availability

Line movement since open

  • Moneyline · Pittsburgh Penguins-156 → -155Moved
  • Moneyline · Chicago Blackhawks+156 → +136Moved
  • Spread · Pittsburgh Penguins-1.5 (+113) → -1.5 (+160)Moved
  • Spread · Chicago Blackhawks+1.5 (-178) → +1.5 (-185)Moved
  • Total · Over6.5 (-127) → 6.5 (-125)Moved
  • Total · Under6.5 (-117) → 6.5 (+105)Moved

ATS and O/U trends

Pittsburgh Penguins
2-3 matchup record · 6-4-0 ATS · 5-5-0 O/U
Last 10 completed games on file
Chicago Blackhawks
1-4 matchup record · 4-6-0 ATS · 7-3-0 O/U
Last 10 completed games on file

Injuries and availability

From the published research (2026-10-13T03:22:25.797Z). Availability may have changed; review the cited sources.

No verified injury or availability note was included in the published matchup research.

Recent head-to-head

  • 2026-01-29Chicago Blackhawks 2 · Pittsburgh Penguins 6
Final result

Matchup pick recap

Chicago Blackhawks defeated Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3

Chicago Blackhawks defeated Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3 on October 13, 2026, a 2-goal decision in the series. Chicago Blackhawks' strongest period was the 1st period, when it outscored its opponent 2-1. Against SportsJaw's recorded Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5 (+160) spread, Chicago Blackhawks covered, while the 8 combined goals finished over the recorded total of 6.5.

SportsJaw editorial picks

  • Projected winnerPittsburgh PenguinsLoss
  • SpreadPass on Pittsburgh -1.5 (+180) and Chicago +1.5 (-210)Pass
  • TotalPass on Over 6.5 (-105) and Under 6.5 (-109)Pass

Tipster picks

  • MrpinkTotal · Over 6.5 (-127)Win
  • DerekFisherMoneyline · Pittsburgh Penguins -156Loss
  • DemarcusBryantTotal · Under 6.5 (-117)Loss
  • MikeVargasTotal · Over 6.5 (-127)Win
  • Altuve27Moneyline · Chicago Blackhawks +156Win
  • PremierPicksMoneyline · Pittsburgh Penguins -135Loss
  • MikehuffMoneyline · Pittsburgh Penguins -135Loss
  • Hustle$Moneyline · Chicago Blackhawks +119Win