The KeyBank Center is the site for an enticing matchup as the Buffalo Sabres face off against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will air this Eastern Conference matchup, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, March 1.
Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres Odds
Pittsburgh (-130) is currently favored over Buffalo (+110), and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 7 goals. The odds for betting the total stand at -125 over, +105 under.
Pittsburgh is 33-30 straight up (SU) and has lost 12.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. 31 of its contests have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under and just five have pushed. This 2018-19 Penguins team is 16-16 SU on the road.
Pittsburgh has converted on 24.3 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s good enough for seventh-best in the NHL. Its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.1 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Pittsburgh has been penalized just 3.4 times per game overall during the 2018-19 season, and 4.6 per game over its last five match ups. The team’s been forced to kill penalties an unhealthy 14.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
With a .912 save percentage and 29.0 saves per game, Matt Murray (19-13-2) has been the top option in goal for Pittsburgh this season. If Pittsburgh chooses to rest him, however, they could turn to Casey DeSmith (14-20-5), who has a .914 save percentage and 2.86 goals against average this year.
The visiting Penguins will be led by Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel. Crosby (77 points) has tallied 27 goals and 50 assists, and has recorded multiple points in 24 different games. Kessel has 21 goals and 43 assists to his name, and has registered at least one point in 38 games.
Over on the other bench, Buffalo is 29-34 straight up (SU) and has lost 1.9 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 34 of its contests have gone over the total, while 27 have gone under and just two have pushed. This year, the team is 18-13 SU as the home team.
Buffalo has converted on 18.8 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.9 percent of all penalties.
The Sabres have been penalized only 3.1 times per game this season, and 1.8 per game over their last five home outings. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays just 5.5 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Carter Hutton (27.3 saves per game) has been the top option in the crease for Buffalo. Hutton has 16 wins, 23 losses, and four OT losses to his name and has maintained a .910 save percentage and 2.84 goals against average this year.
The Sabres will be led on offense by Jack Eichel (22 goals, 47 assists).
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- For both of these clubs, the total has gone over in three of their last five outings.
- Two offenses that take a heavy amount of shots on goal, Pittsburgh has attempted the league’s ninth-most shots on goal (32.6) and Buffalo has attempted the ninth-most (32.7).
- The Sabres are 11-18 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 23-25 when they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total.
- Buffalo is 4-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Pittsburgh is 1-2 in shootouts.
- Buffalo has averaged 5.2 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a drop-off from its season average of 6.4 takeaways per game (ranked 26th in the league).
- Pittsburgh is ranked 12th in the NHL this season with 8.1 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as it has created 7.5 takeaways over its last 10 games and 7.4 takeaways over its last five.