Pittsburgh Penguins vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, 1/4/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026

Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

TV: Fanduel Sports Network

Odds/Point Spread: Penguins (-144) Blue Jackets (+120)

The Columbus Blue Jackets (17-16-6) will compete against the Pittsburgh Penguins (17-12-9) at Nationwide Arena on Sunday. The odds on this game have Pittsburgh at -144 and Columbus is sitting at +120. The over/under comes in at 6.

The Pittsburgh Penguins had a good night with a 5-1 victory over the Hurricanes their last time out. Pittsburgh garnered 2 mins in the box for this game. The Penguins played really well in the win. In addition, they had 2 opportunities with more players on the ice and were able to notch 1 goal. For the outing, they were able to notch a goal on 5 out of the 28 shots they launched.

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In the matter of their goal scoring prowess, the Pittsburgh Penguins have racked up 121 goals (17th in the National Hockey League) so far this year and have allowed 118. For the current campaign, they have earned 43 points and their points percentage comes in at .566. Pittsburgh has tallied 103 power play chances and they have scored 31 goals out of those attempts, garnering them a percentage of 30.10%. At even strength, the Penguins have surrendered 98 goals while getting 90 of their own. Pittsburgh has attempted 1,081 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 11.2%. The Penguins thus far have had 1,074 shots tried against them and hold a save percentage of .890. Pittsburgh Penguins opponents have 109 power play opportunities (21st in the NHL) and have a total of 20 goals in those attempts.

Protecting the goal for this matchup will be Arturs Silovs. The opposition has scored 109 goals against Silovs in his pro hockey career and his goals against average per game is 3.11. Silovs has been involved in 36 games throughout his hockey career. His save percentage currently is at .883 during his 1,047 minutes on the ice. He has earned a win-loss record of 14-13-8 and was named the starter in 35 games. For his professional hockey career, Silovs has 17 quality starts and his percentage for quality starts is .486. Silovs has had 931 shot attempts against him and he has 822 total saves.

In their last contest, Columbus faced the Devils in an outing where the Blue Jackets ended up losing by a score of 3-2. They had 3 power play attempts in this game but were not able to net one. The Blue Jackets netted 2 goals out of the 35 shots on goal they pursued.

On the season, the Columbus Blue Jackets have earned 114 goals, 40 points, in addition to a points percentage of .513. They have allowed 130 goals to be scored by way of 103 goals at even strength and 27 goals while they were shorthanded. The Blue Jackets have accumulated 95 goals at even strength and 19 goals (26th in the league) while having more men on the ice. They have a tally of 102 power play opportunities and they have a power play percentage of 18.63%. Columbus has tried 1,177 shots (6th in the league) and has accumulated a shot percentage of 9.69%, while allowing the opposition 1,195 shots. They have a penalty kill percentage of 75.00% on their oppositions 108 power play tries, and their save percentage currently sits at 89.1%.

Across the ice you are likely to see Elvis Merzlikins defending the goal. Teams are averaging 3.21 goals per game and he has surrendered 780 goals altogether. Merzlikins' quality start percentage comes out to 47.7% and he has made 116 quality starting assignments in his pro career. He has started in 243 contests and has racked up 12,965 minutes. Merzlikins has a career mark of 100-106-36 and has played in 258 games. He has compiled 7,036 saves out of 7,816 shots taken against him, which gives him a save % of .900.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy's Pick: Take Columbus (+120)

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