Our Pittsburgh Penguins vs Colorado Avalanche preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Friday, October 16, 2026. The Pittsburgh Penguins (3-3-1 this season; 41-25-16 in 2025-26) visit the Colorado Avalanche (4-2-1 this season; 55-16-11 in 2025-26) at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. Puck drop is 9:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local). TV: Altitude / KTVD / SN-PIT / Sportsnet+ / TVA Sports.
Storyline: Pittsburgh enters Friday at 3-3-1 after a 5-3 loss at Chicago (Oct. 13). Colorado enters Friday at 4-2-1 after a 3-2 shootout loss to Dallas (Oct. 14). The teams split two meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Colorado at -218 and Pittsburgh at +180 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Colorado Avalanche Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Pittsburgh Penguins @ Colorado Avalanche |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Pittsburgh Penguins 3-3-1 | Colorado Avalanche 4-2-1 |
| 2025-26 Records | Pittsburgh Penguins 41-25-16 | Colorado Avalanche 55-16-11 |
| Head Coaches | PIT: Dan Muse (2nd season) | COL: Jared Bednar (11th season) |
| Puck Line | PIT +1.5 (-135) | COL -1.5 (+114) |
| Moneyline | Pittsburgh Penguins: +180 | Colorado Avalanche: -218 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o-118 / u-102) |
| Venue | Ball Arena (Denver, Colo.) |
| Date / Time | Friday, October 16, 2026 — 9:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | Altitude / KTVD / SN-PIT / Sportsnet+ / TVA Sports |
| Probable Starting Goalies | PIT: Arturs Silovs (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | COL: Mackenzie Blackwood (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, ~6:24 PM ET. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Arturs Silovs (Pittsburgh) and Mackenzie Blackwood (Colorado) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
Pittsburgh Penguins Preview: Karlsson Leads a 3-3-1 Start
2025-26 recap: Pittsburgh went 41-25-16 (98 points), finished second in the Metropolitan Division and made the playoffs for the first time since 2022 before losing to Philadelphia in six games in the first round. The Penguins scored 3.54 goals per game, third in the NHL (NHL.com). Captain Sidney Crosby led the team with 74 points (29 goals, 45 assists) in 68 games, and Dan Muse was a Jack Adams Award finalist in his first season.
Offseason moves: Evgeni Malkin signed a one-year contract to return for a 21st season. Pittsburgh signed forward Andrei Kuzmenko and defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk, acquired forward Nick Robertson from Toronto and acquired defenseman Kaedan Korczak from Vegas. Anthony Mantha (33 goals) signed with New Jersey, and Stuart Skinner signed with Winnipeg (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Crosby, Malkin, Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Egor Chinakhov, Tommy Novak, Ben Kindel and Robertson lead the forwards. Erik Karlsson (66 points last season), Kris Letang, Samuel Girard, Declan Carlile and Korczak are on defense. Muse is in his second season as coach.
Goalies: Arturs Silovs has started four games and is 3-1-0 with an .885 save percentage (85 saves on 96 shots). Most recently, he made 24 saves on 25 shots in a 2-1 shootout win over Dallas (Oct. 10). Sergei Murashov has started three games and is 0-2-1 with a .911 save percentage (92 saves on 101 shots). Most recently, he made 15 saves on 19 shots in a 5-3 loss at Chicago (Oct. 13). ESPN lists Arturs Silovs as the probable starter for Friday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Pittsburgh is 3-3-1 through seven games, with 25 goals scored and 22 allowed. Results: a 7-0 win at Philadelphia (Sept. 30), a 6-5 overtime win over Montreal (Oct. 3), a 3-2 loss to Winnipeg (Oct. 5), a 5-3 loss at Washington (Oct. 7), a 3-2 shootout loss at Columbus (Oct. 9), a 2-1 shootout win over Dallas (Oct. 10) and a 5-3 loss at Chicago (Oct. 13). Erik Karlsson has seven assists, and Samuel Girard has six points (one goal, five assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Trevor van Riemsdyk (lower body), Justin Brazeau (lower body) and Ryan Graves (knee) are on injured reserve (ESPN).
Colorado Avalanche Preview: MacKinnon Leads a 4-2-1 Start
2025-26 recap: Colorado went 55-16-11 (121 points), won the Central Division and the Presidents’ Trophy, and led the NHL in goals scored while allowing the fewest. Nathan MacKinnon won the Rocket Richard Trophy with 53 goals and finished with 127 points, Martin Necas had 100 points, and Cale Makar was the Norris Trophy runner-up. The Avalanche swept Los Angeles and beat Minnesota in five games before Vegas swept them in the Western Conference Final (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: GM Chris MacFarland left to run Nashville’s hockey operations. Colorado traded Valeri Nichushkin to Columbus and sent Ross Colton and Jack Drury to Nashville in separate deals, bringing back forwards Fedor Svechkov and Zachary L’Heureux. The Avalanche also signed forward Jaden Schwartz to a three-year contract and added defenseman Noah Juulsen (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: MacKinnon, Necas, Makar, Brock Nelson (33 goals last season), Artturi Lehkonen, Nazem Kadri and captain Gabriel Landeskog lead the way, with Devon Toews, Sam Malinski and Brent Burns also on defense. The penalty kill ranked first in the NHL last season (84.6 percent). Jared Bednar is in his 11th season as coach.
Goalies: Mackenzie Blackwood has started five games and is 3-2-0 with an .879 save percentage (109 saves on 124 shots). Most recently, he made 24 saves on 26 shots in a 3-2 win at Dallas (Oct. 13). Scott Wedgewood has started two games and is 1-0-1 with a .902 save percentage (46 saves on 51 shots). Most recently, he made 20 saves on 22 shots in a 3-2 shootout loss to Dallas (Oct. 14). ESPN lists Mackenzie Blackwood as the probable starter for Friday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Colorado is 4-2-1 through seven games, with 31 goals scored and 22 allowed. Results: an 8-4 win over Los Angeles (Sept. 30), a 6-1 win over St. Louis (Oct. 3), a 3-2 loss at Winnipeg (Oct. 7), a 7-3 win at Calgary (Oct. 8), a 6-3 loss to Toronto (Oct. 10), a 3-2 win at Dallas (Oct. 13) and a 3-2 shootout loss to Dallas (Oct. 14). Nathan MacKinnon has 12 points (five goals, seven assists), and Martin Necas has seven points (four goals, three assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Nicolas Roy (lower body) and Zachary L’Heureux (upper body) are day to day; Logan O’Connor (lower body) is on injured reserve; Georgii Merkulov (undisclosed) is on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Penguins vs Avalanche
- Schedule spot: Pittsburgh last played on Oct. 13 and visits Vegas on Oct. 17, so Friday is the first night of a back-to-back for the Penguins. Colorado last played on Oct. 14 and visits Philadelphia on Oct. 19. Neither team played on Thursday, Oct. 15, so neither is on the second night of a back-to-back (NHL.com).
- Last season: The teams split two meetings last season. Pittsburgh won 7-2 in Colorado on March 16, 2026. Colorado won 6-2 in Pittsburgh on March 24 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Pittsburgh is converting 16.7 percent of its power plays and has killed 89.5 percent of penalties. Colorado is converting 20 percent of its power plays and has killed 82.4 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Pittsburgh has scored 25 goals and allowed 22 in 7 games. Colorado has scored 31 goals and allowed 22 in 7 games.
- Odds snapshot: Colorado -218 / Pittsburgh +180 on the moneyline, Avalanche -1.5 (+114) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Pittsburgh Penguins vs Colorado Avalanche
Date: Friday, October 16, 2026
Puck drop: 9:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, Colo.
TV: In the U.S., Altitude Sports (ALT) and KTVD carry it in the Avalanche’s market and SportsNet Pittsburgh (SN-PIT) carries it in the Penguins’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, Sportsnet+ and TVA Sports carry it (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 16, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.