The Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins meet in NHL action from the PPG Paints Arena on Saturday night. Can Pittsburgh keep the run of form going? Or will Buffalo surprise as decent-sized road underdogs? Let’s dive in and find out with our Sabres vs. Penguins Prediction.
Buffalo Sabres Team Preview
The Buffalo Sabres come into this game looking to build on a 6-1 rout of Montreal last time out. Casey Mittelstadt leads the Sabres in scoring with 33 points including a team-high 22 assists while Rasmus Dahlin has 31 points with 11 goals and 20 assists. Jeff Skinner has 31 points with a team-high 16 goals while JJ Peterka has 26 points with 12 goals and 14 assists. Alex Tuch also has 26 points with 9 goals and 17 assists this season. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 7-8-2 record with a 3.13 GAA and an .892 save percentage while Devon Levi is 8-6-2 with a 3.22 GAA and an .893 save percentage and Eric Comrie is 1-5 with a 4.01 GAA and an .863 save percentage this season in goal for the Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres Team Facts
- The Sabres have lost each of their last 12 night games following a road win.
- The Sabres have covered the puck line in each of their last six games against the Penguins following a road win.
- The Sabres have lost the first period in each of their last four games against Metropolitan Division opponents.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Sabres’ last seven games.
Pittsburgh Penguins Team Preview
The Pittsburgh Penguins come into this one looking to build on their 6-5 win over Boston last time out. Jake Guentzel leads the Penguins in scoring with 43 points including 18 goals and a team-high 25 assists while Sidney Crosby has 41 points with a team-high 22 goals. Evgeni Malkin has 32 points with 14 goals and 18 assists while Erik Karlsson’s added 26 points with 20 assists and Kris Letang has 26 points of his own with 23 assists this season. Tristan Jarry has gone 11-11-2 with a 2.58 GAA and a .912 save percentage while Alex Nedeljkovic has a 7-3-2 record with a 2.62 GAA and a .917 save percentage this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins Team Facts
- The Penguins have lost each of their last four games as home favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Penguins have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The Penguins have won the first period in each of their last four home games against the Sabres following a road win.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 2′ market has hit in each of the Penguins’ last eight games against Atlantic Division opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Pittsburgh Penguins rank T6th in the league for goals against per game this season (2.73).
- The Pittsburgh Penguins rank 26th in the league in power play percentage this season (14.41%).
- The Buffalo Sabres rank 28th in the league in power play percentage this season (14.16%).
- The Buffalo Sabres rank 32nd in the league for Period 1 goals allowed per game this season (1.31).
Sabres vs. Penguins Prediction
I’m backing the over here. I lean towards the Penguins as well, but I think the over is the safer play given Pittsburgh’s offensive power but also, like we saw against Boston, the potential for frailties and cracks in Pittsburgh’s defense/goaltending. I think the Penguins are the better team across the board but I also think Buffalo can contribute to a high-scoring affair here. Give me the over.
