By Richard Gale

September 23, 2026 • 6:21 PM EDT

Updated 2 hours ago

Penguins Go Full Developmental for Wednesday in Columbus, Giving Sharps an Early Edge

The Pittsburgh Penguins named a roster of prospects and AHL hopefuls for Wednesday’s preseason road game at Nationwide Arena. No Sidney Crosby. No Kris Letang. Not even a Bryan Rust cameo. The veteran group was left home, honoring the new NHL rule that limits preseason veteran appearances to two games apiece. Expectation: prospects battling for jobs against a Columbus Blue Jackets home lineup with far more established talent.

Live data confirms the implications. Scanning the projected top Penguins forwards, Rutger McGroarty, Filip Hallander, Connor Dewar, there’s not a bona fide NHL scorer in the mix. Their combined stats at the NHL level are negligible. Goaltending will fall to Sergei Murashov or Collin Delia, neither of whom has a full season’s workload in the world’s best league. Columbus, facing what’s effectively an AHL lineup, enters with a measurable talent gap and the market is priced as if it’s a coin flip.

Here’s what matters for your wallet: preseason books rarely move quickly enough to reflect late-breaking lineup decisions. If you can pick off a Columbus moneyline under -180 or a plus-money puck line before the board adjusts, you’re fading a Penguins group that doesn’t feature a single 2025-26 NHL regular. These opportunities don’t come often, and only bettors tracking local beat reports and late roster news get the edge before public money pours in. The over is even in play if Pittsburgh starts Murashov or Delia behind an untested defense group: sloppier structure, more volatility, and nervous goaltending can produce a scoring spike.

This Penguins Roster Isn’t Built To Win Tonight, and That Moves the Market

Related: Penguins roster picture gets muddier as injuries pile up

Every preseason, oddsmakers start with rough parity and adjust if a marquee name drops. They aren’t built for full developmental lineups being made official inside 24 hours. When only one team brings its NHL offense, you must hit the angle before the spread balloons. Columbus’ mix includes several roster locks and at least one regular goalie option, giving them both experience on the puck and a goaltending edge over a Penguins group essentially auditioning for Wilkes-Barre.

The way I see it: if you don’t back Columbus tonight, you’re betting against math and logic. The Penguins aren’t icing a team that’s expected to win. The number still lets you play that mismatch before it’s fully priced.

• Penguins are resting every notable NHL veteran: the moneyline and puck line edge swings decisively toward Columbus.
• The projected Pittsburgh lineup includes only AHLers, prospects, and unsigned invitees: the Blue Jackets face the weakest possible preseason opponent tonight.
• Goaltending duties for Pittsburgh likely split between Sergei Murashov and Collin Delia: neither has a proven NHL track record, favoring the game total over in addition to the Columbus side.
• Columbus announced a standard preseason lineup, mixing some regulars and a proven goaltender: the home team has roster continuity and chemistry.
• NHL’s new preseason veteran limits are forcing lopsided matchups like this: bettors tracking lineup news can beat the openers before oddsmakers adjust.

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Key Takeaways For Bettors

• Back the Columbus Blue Jackets moneyline before odds move beyond standard value.
• Play the Columbus puck line (-1.5) at plus money, this is the rare preseason spot with real blowout potential.
• Consider the over on game total if Penguins start inexperienced netminders.
• Monitor late roster adjustments, but Columbus holds all the lineup edges as of publication.
• Fade preseason games where one team sits every regular, regardless of name brand or travel disadvantage.
• The Blue Jackets spread is a clear EV play until books reprice based on these lineup trends.

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• Track future games where veteran preseason limits force similar development lineups, there’s exploitable value every time.

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Back Columbus Blue Jackets moneyline and, if available at plus money, the puck line (-1.5) against Pittsburgh’s prospect-laden lineup tonight. The data is clear: the Penguins will skate zero proven NHLers, while Columbus fields several regulars. That’s a mismatch the odds haven’t yet fully caught. The Columbus Blue Jackets picks and season record has everything you need before you confirm the bet.

“We want to give our prospects a real look. This is their chance to show up and compete.”Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins head coach

This article was produced with AI assistance by Richard Gale (senior gambling industry executive and ThePicks founder), with editorial standards and betting methodology overseen by Ben Gale, and reviewed by the ThePicks editorial team. All statistics sourced from live BDL API data and verified source material. All betting opinions are those of ThePicks analysts.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/penguins-announce-roster-preseason-game-200039296.html

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