Pittsburgh Penguins (15-12-9) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (13-17-6)
The 2025-26 NHL season goes on Sunday, December 28, with the Pittsburgh Penguins taking on the Chicago Blackhawks in the cross-conference showdown at United Center in Chicago, IL, and we’ve got you covered with our Penguins vs. Blackhawks prediction.
Pittsburgh meets Chicago for the first time this season. They split a two-game set in 2024-25, with each team emerging victorious at home. The Blackhawks outlasted the Penguins 3-1 at United Center, and the Pens responded with a 5-0 victory.
Read more about this Penguins vs. Blackhawks prediction, and check out all our NHL picks for Sunday’s card. The Penguins open as -152 moneyline favorites with a total of 6.0 goals. The puck drop is set at 7:00 PM ET.
Saturday’s games have been excluded from the analysis, and the Blackhawks took the ice on Saturday night, visiting the mighty Dallas Stars.
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Terms & Conditions The Penguins desperately need more from their defense
The Pittsburgh Penguins have only won one of their previous 10 games overall (1-5-4 record). After stopping their eight-game slide with a 4-3 shootout victory to the Montreal Canadiens, the Penguins suffered a 6-3 defeat at the Toronto Maple Leafs this past Monday.
During that 10-game stretch, the Penguins have allowed a whopping 43 goals. Stuart Skinner guarded the cage last Monday, surrendering four goals on 29 shots. The Maple Leafs sealed the win with a couple of empty-netters.
Skinner has gone 0-3-0 with an ugly 4.18 GAA and a .831 save percentage since he arrived from Edmonton. He’s now 11-11-4 with a 2.98 GAA and a .885 save percentage in 26 starts this season, while Arturs Silovs is 5-5-6 with a 3.22 GAA and a .889 save percentage.
The Penguins allow 3.17 goals per game (21st in the NHL) and score 3.03 goals in return (tied for 15th). Center Sidney Crosby leads the way with 20 goals and 18 assists, while winger Bryan Rust has accounted for 13 goals and 17 assists. The Pens miss center Evgeni Malkin (G8, A21) due to an injury.
The Blackhawks miss both Connor Bedard and Frank Nazar
The Chicago Blackhawks visited the Dallas Stars on Saturday night, riding a six-game losing streak. The slumping Blackhawks have struggled to score lately, tallying just 14 goals in their previous nine games overall.
Last Tuesday, the Blackhawks suffered a 3-1 home loss against the Philadelphia Flyers. Chicago took only 21 shots toward the Flyers’ net, and Ryan Donato scored his ninth goal of the season. Spencer Knight gave up two goals on 23 shots, falling to 10-10-5 on the season.
Knight has a 2.55 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 2025-26, while Arvid Soderblom carries a 3-7-1 record with a 4.04 GAA and a .873 save percentage. The Blackhawks allow 3.11 goals per game (17th in the NHL) and score 2.75 goals in return (26th).
Center Connor Bedard leads the charge for Chicago with 19 goals and 25 assists. Winger Tyler Bertuzzi has recorded 16 goals and 10 assists, and center Frank Nazar has amassed six goals and 15 dishes. Both Bedard and Nazar are on the IR, which is a massive blow for the Blackhawks.
Penguins vs. Blackhawks Pick Moneyline Pick for Penguins vs. Blackhawks Pittsburgh Penguins (5 units)
It’s no surprise that the Blackhawks have struggled to score lately, given the injuries to some of their best players. Without Connor Bedard, Chicago is a completely different team, so it’s hard to put your money on the Blackhawks at the moment.
Moreover, this is the back end of a back-to-back set for Chicago. At the time of writing, it was unknown who would guard the cage for the Blackhawks on Sunday, as they didn’t announce the starting goalie for Saturday’s clash against Dallas.
Hereof, I have to go with the Penguins, despite their awful run of form and significant defensive woes. At least, the Pens can score. They boast the third-best power-play percentage in the NHL (29.3%), and just one team has allowed more power-play opportunities than Chicago (125).
Over/Under Pick for Penguins vs. Blackhawks
The Penguins’ defense has been horrendous over the last few weeks, so the Blackhawks’ offense could get things going in this matchup. Pittsburgh will continue to lean on its offense, and the Blackhawks will have a tall task to slow the Pens down, especially if Arturs Silovs gets the starting call.
Despite the Blackhawks’ offensive struggles, I would take the over in this game. The Penguins have scored 19 goals in their last seven games despite being blanked twice during that stretch. Seven of Pittsburgh’s previous nine contests have seen at least six goals on the scoreboard.
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