Pittsburgh Penguins vs Vegas Golden Knights Picks and Predictions for Saturday October 17 2026
You know what I’d hate to be doing Saturday night? Playing the Vegas Golden Knights after spending Friday night chasing Colorado around the ice. That’s what Pittsburgh has waiting for it. The Penguins are on a western road trip, and Vegas isn’t exactly the kind of team you want to see when your legs are getting tired. The Golden Knights just beat Calgary 6-2 Thursday, and they’ve won six of their first eight games. Pittsburgh has been having trouble keeping the puck out of its own net. These teams meet Saturday, October 17, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Puck drop is scheduled for 10:00 PM ET, with SCRIPPS and SportsNet Pittsburgh carrying the game. Vegas has been priced around -179 in one available betting listing, with Pittsburgh at +155. I don’t love laying a big number, but there’s a reason the Golden Knights are favored. Be sure to check out our free NHL picks for more NHL predictions throughout the season.
Pittsburgh Penguins Have Some Problems To Figure Out
Pittsburgh was 3-3-1 heading into Friday’s game against Colorado, and the Penguins haven’t been giving their fans much reason to relax. They lost 5-3 to Chicago on Tuesday, and that one had to sting. Pittsburgh came back from a 3-1 deficit and tied the game in the third period. You figure maybe they’re going to steal a point, right? Nope. Chicago scored with a little more than four minutes left and added an empty-netter. Pittsburgh had 27 shots to Chicago’s 20 and still lost by two. That’s a frustrating way to spend an evening. The Penguins have now lost three of their last four, and playing Colorado and Vegas on consecutive nights isn’t exactly a wonderful opportunity to turn things around.
Pittsburgh scored 25 goals through its first seven games, which works out to 3.57 per night. That’s plenty of offense. The problem is the 22 goals they’ve allowed. You can score three or four every night, but it doesn’t do much good when the other team keeps answering. Their power play has also gone cold. The Penguins went 0-for-4 against Chicago and had failed to score on 16 straight opportunities over five games. Sixteen! That’s a lot of wasted chances. Vegas has been scoring better than three and a half goals per game, so Pittsburgh can’t afford to keep giving away opportunities with the extra man. And then there’s the goaltending. The Penguins have been getting inconsistent performances, and now they’re facing two good offensive teams on back-to-back nights. That’s not a comfortable spot.
Pittsburgh’s leading goal scorer had four through seven games, and its top offensive defenseman had seven assists. So there’s talent here, and the Penguins have been getting some offense from the blue line. But the goaltending has been another story. One of their regular options has a .885 save percentage, while the other was winless through three appearances entering Friday. Neither number makes me feel particularly good about their chances in Vegas. Ryan Graves is out with a knee injury, Trevor van Riemsdyk has been dealing with a lower-body problem, and Justin Brazeau is also sidelined. Those missing pieces matter, especially when the Penguins are already giving up too many goals. Pittsburgh can score enough to make this interesting. I’m just not convinced they can stop Vegas often enough to win.
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Vegas Golden Knights Are Looking Pretty Dangerous
Vegas was 6-2-0 before Thursday’s game against Calgary, and the Golden Knights went out and made that record look even better. They beat the Flames 6-2, scoring three times in the third period to turn a comfortable lead into a blowout. That’s a pretty nice response after losing 4-2 to Minnesota earlier in the week. Before that, Vegas had won four straight, including a 6-2 victory over Seattle and a 4-3 shootout win against Toronto. The Golden Knights have been finding different ways to win. Sometimes they score six. Sometimes they grind out a 2-1 overtime game like they did against Los Angeles. That’s what I like about this bunch. They don’t need everything to go perfectly to come away with two points.
Vegas had scored 29 goals and allowed 20 through its first eight games. Then it put six more on Calgary. That’s 35 goals in nine games, or 3.89 per night. The Golden Knights have been getting plenty of offense, and their power play has been converting better than 23% of its chances. That’s a problem for Pittsburgh, especially with the Penguins’ defense dealing with injuries. Vegas hasn’t been perfect defensively, either. Minnesota scored four against them, and Anaheim put four on the board earlier this month. But the Golden Knights have generally been better at keeping games under control than Pittsburgh. Their goaltending has been more reliable, and they’ve been getting contributions from several different lines. Against a tired Penguins team, that’s a pretty good combination.
Vegas’s leading scorer had 13 points through the first eight games, and the Golden Knights have gotten plenty of help from their other top forwards. One of their veteran scorers just put together a three-goal performance against Calgary, and the team has been dangerous whenever it gets rolling offensively. The goaltending has been solid, too. Their starter made 28 saves Thursday, and the Golden Knights have two options who have been winning games. Parker Wotherspoon is out with an upper-body injury, Victor Olofsson is on long-term injured reserve, and Alex Pietrangelo remains sidelined. That’s not nothing, but Vegas has enough depth to handle those absences. Pittsburgh’s going to have to play a pretty clean game to keep up, and I haven’t seen enough of that from the Penguins lately.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Vegas Golden Knights Picks and Predictions
Vegas Golden Knights Moneyline (-179)
I’m taking Vegas, and I know -179 isn’t exactly a bargain. But sometimes the better team is the right bet, even when you have to pay a little extra. Pittsburgh has been giving up too many goals, its power play has gone cold, and the Penguins are playing their second game in two nights. That’s a rough combination against a Vegas team that’s scoring nearly four goals per game. The Golden Knights just put six on Calgary, and they’ve shown they can win tight games when the offense isn’t clicking. Now, Pittsburgh does have enough scoring talent to make this uncomfortable. If the Penguins get three or four goals, Vegas is going to have to work for it. And I want to know what happened Friday in Colorado before getting too carried away with this pick. But I like the Golden Knights’ depth, their goaltending, and the home-ice advantage. Give me Vegas to take care of business.
Over 5.5 Goals
I’m going over 5.5, and I don’t think Pittsburgh’s defense is going to enjoy this matchup. The Penguins have allowed 22 goals in seven games, and Vegas has scored 35 in nine. That’s a lot of offense meeting a team that’s been having trouble keeping the puck out of its net. Pittsburgh can score, too. They’ve averaged 3.57 goals per game, so this doesn’t have to be a one-sided affair to get us over the number. The one thing that bothers me is the schedule. Pittsburgh might be tired enough to struggle offensively, and Vegas has shown it can win a low-scoring game when it needs to. But the Golden Knights have scored at least four goals in five of their nine games, and Pittsburgh’s goaltending hasn’t been reliable. I can see Vegas winning 4-2, maybe 5-2 if the Penguins start making mistakes late. Either one works for me. Give me the over 5.5.
Final Picks: Vegas Golden Knights Moneyline (-179) and Over 5.5 Goals
This article was completed on October 16, 2026, before Pittsburgh’s game against Colorado. Betting odds, team records, starting goaltenders, and injury reports may change before puck drop.
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