Pittsburgh Penguins vs Chicago Blackhawks prediction 10-10-23 NHL Picks
The Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins meet Tuesday in NHL action at the PPG Paints Arena. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.
Chicago Blackhawks Betting Preview
The Chicago Blackhawks won 26 games last year, have missed the playoffs 3 straight years, and enter the second season under coach Luke Richardson. The Blackhawks are a far cry from the glory days of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and are coming off a season where they finished dead last in goals per game. The Blackhawks now turn their franchise over to 18-year-old Connor Bedard, who is widely considered one of the best prospects in the history of the sport. No pressure, but while the Blackhawks are expected to be bad, Bedard’s potential and flashy play will make them worth watching this season. Goalie Petr Mrazek is coming off two subpar seasons, but he’s still a veteran goalie with 145 starts under his belt with 13 career shutouts. The Blackhawks lack depth or simply proven talent to be good this year, but Bedard will keep the city’s hopes up.
Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Preview
The Pittsburgh Penguins won 40 games last year and haven’t missed the playoffs in back to back years since Eddie Olczyk was running the show. Mike Sullivan enters his eighth full season as coach of the Penguins. The Penguins look to get back to the big dance in large part with the addition of Erik Karlsson, who is a 5-time all star and fresh off 101 points and a Norris Trophy with San Jose. The questions for the Penguins is which version of goalie Tristan Jarry they’re going to get and who can find the back of the net outside of Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins have a long history of success, and I wouldn’t bet on the struggles lasting very long.
Randy’s Free Pick
I considered the Blackhawks and the big plus money simply because it's the first game of the season and guys are just starting to get their feet wet. However, the Blackhawks aren't expected to be very good this season and this is a tough opener on the road against a Penguins side that usually wins games they're supposed to win and has a good home crowd. If the Penguins are going to right the wrongs from last season, it should start at home against a possible bottom feeder. Give me the Penguins and the PL for max betting value.
