Pittsburgh Penguins vs Colorado Avalanche Picks and Predictions for Friday October 16 2026
The Pittsburgh Penguins head to Denver on Friday, October 16, 2026, to face the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Puck drop is at 9:00 PM ET, with ESPN+ available for out-of-market viewers. Pittsburgh just lost 5-3 to Chicago, while Colorado dropped a 3-2 shootout game against Dallas on Wednesday. The Avalanche are favored around -210 on the moneyline, with Pittsburgh getting +200 at some books. The puck line has Colorado -1.5 at +100, and the total is 6.5 goals. I’m taking the Avalanche to win by two. Pittsburgh has been giving up too many chances, and Colorado has scored 31 goals already. That’s a lot of offense. I also like the over. Neither team has been keeping the puck out of the net all that well, and I think we’re getting a few goals Friday. Get into the action with our free NHL picks.
Pittsburgh Penguins Keep Making Things Hard On Themselves
Pittsburgh is 3-3-1 and has lost four of its last five. The Penguins went into Chicago on Tuesday and lost 5-3. That one had to hurt. They were down 3-1, fought back to tie it in the third, then gave up the winner with just over four minutes left. And it wasn’t some beautiful passing play that beat them. A shot from a bad angle got through the goalie. Come on. You’ve got to stop that one. Pittsburgh had beaten Dallas 2-1 in a shootout over the weekend, so maybe the Penguins thought things were starting to turn around. Apparently not. Now they’re going to Colorado, and then Vegas the following night. That’s a pretty nasty couple of games when you’re already having trouble winning.
The Penguins have scored 24 goals in seven games. That’s 3.43 per night, so the offense isn’t completely broken. They’ve also allowed 21. Three against per game. The trouble is they’re making too many mistakes at the wrong time. Chicago had only 22 shots Tuesday and still scored four times before adding an empty-netter. That’s not what you want to see. And the power play? Pittsburgh has gone 16 straight opportunities without scoring. Sixteen! You’d think somebody would accidentally put one in by now. Colorado has its own defensive problems, but the Avalanche can score in a hurry. Pittsburgh can’t spend the evening taking penalties, turning the puck over and hoping the goalie saves everything. That’s asking for trouble.
The Penguins have been getting some useful scoring from their younger forwards, and the offense did fight back against Chicago. I’ll give them that. Two goals in the third period nearly rescued the game. But the goaltending has been inconsistent. The young goalie who started Tuesday stopped only 15 shots, and a couple of those goals were ones you’d expect an NHL starter to handle. Pittsburgh might make a change in net Friday. I’d certainly consider it. The injuries aren’t helping, either. Ryan Graves is out with a knee problem, Trevor van Riemsdyk has a lower-body injury, and Justin Brazeau is unavailable. That’s missing help on defense and up front. Pittsburgh has enough offense to score a couple against Colorado. I just don’t trust it to keep the Avalanche from scoring more.
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Colorado Avalanche Have Been Filling The Net
Colorado is 4-2-1 and has been scoring goals all over the place. The Avalanche opened the season by putting eight past Los Angeles. Then they scored six against St. Louis and seven against Calgary. Eight, six and seven. That’s ridiculous. They haven’t been scoring at that pace every night, though. Colorado lost 3-2 in a shootout to Dallas on Wednesday after beating the Stars 3-2 the night before. Two pretty tight games. The Avalanche had chances to win Wednesday, including a couple of goals that were waved off. That’s frustrating, but they still picked up a point. Now Pittsburgh comes to town after giving up five to Chicago. I think Colorado’s offense is going to enjoy this matchup.
The Avalanche have scored 31 goals in seven games. That’s 4.43 per night. Best total in the league so far. They’ve allowed 21, or three per game. So yeah, the defense hasn’t been perfect. Toronto put six past them, and Los Angeles scored four in the opener. But Colorado has been getting plenty of chances, and its power play is converting around 24% of its opportunities. That’s a decent number. Pittsburgh just went 0-for-4 against Chicago and has been having trouble with special teams. I like that matchup for Colorado. The Avalanche don’t have to score on every power play. Just make Pittsburgh pay once or twice, and things could get uncomfortable pretty quickly. The Penguins have enough offense to answer, but I wouldn’t want to trade goals with this Colorado team all night.
Colorado has been getting contributions from all over the lineup. That’s what I like. The Avalanche don’t need one forward to score three goals every night. They can get offense from their defensemen, their second line and their power play. Wednesday’s game against Dallas was a good example of the depth. Colorado scored twice and had two more goals disallowed. The chances were there. The goaltending has been decent, too. Wednesday’s starter stopped 20 of 22 shots, and the other main option helped Colorado beat Dallas the night before. I’d still check who’s starting Friday. The Avalanche have a few injuries. Logan O’Connor is dealing with a lower-body problem, Zach L’Heureux has an upper-body injury, and Georgii Merkulov is unavailable. Nic Roy has also been dealing with a lower-body issue. Those absences matter, but Colorado has been scoring plenty without everybody healthy. I don’t see Pittsburgh suddenly shutting this offense down.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Colorado Avalanche Picks and Predictions
Puck Line Pick: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+100)
I’m taking Colorado -1.5 at +100. Look, I could take the Avalanche on the moneyline, but laying -210? That’s a lot of money for a hockey game. I’d rather take a chance on Colorado winning by two. Pittsburgh just gave up five to Chicago, and its goalie had a rough night. Now the Penguins face a team averaging 4.43 goals. You really want to trust that defense? I don’t. Colorado scored eight against Los Angeles, six against St. Louis and seven against Calgary. The Avalanche can put up goals in a hurry. The worry is Pittsburgh’s offense. The Penguins average 3.43 goals themselves, and Colorado has been allowing three per game. Pittsburgh could score three and make this a one-goal game. That’s the risk. But I think the Avalanche get enough chances to put four or five on the board. Give me Colorado -1.5.
Total Pick: Over 6.5 Goals (-115)
Give me Over 6.5 goals. Colorado has scored 31 in seven games, and Pittsburgh has 24. That’s 55 goals between them already. Both teams are also allowing three goals per game. I know it doesn’t work quite that simply, but those numbers get my attention. Pittsburgh just played a 5-3 game against Chicago, and Colorado has already been involved in some wild ones. The concern is the Avalanche’s last two games against Dallas. Both finished 3-2, and Wednesday needed a shootout. Maybe Colorado keeps playing that tighter style. Maybe Pittsburgh finally gets some decent goaltending. That could ruin an over pretty quickly. But I don’t trust the Penguins’ defense right now, and the Avalanche haven’t been perfect in their own end either. I think Colorado scores four or five, and Pittsburgh gets a couple. Something like 5-3 Avalanche sounds about right. I’ll take the over.
Final Picks: Colorado Avalanche -1.5 (+100) and Over 6.5 Goals (-115).
Disclaimer: This preview was prepared October 15, 2026. Betting lines, injuries and starting goalies may change before puck drop. Check the latest information before placing a wager.
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