Sidney Crosby, Phil Kessel, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are set to face off against Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in an Eastern Conference tilt. AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh will broadcast the game, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 14.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres Odds
Pittsburgh (-190) is currently favored over Buffalo (+165), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals. The odds for betting the total sit at -120 for the under and +100 for the over.
Pittsburgh is 38-32 straight up (SU) and has lost 10.2 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 33 of its outings have gone over the total, while 32 have gone under and just five have pushed. As the road team in 2018-19, the Pens are 17-18 SU.
Pittsburgh has converted on 25.3 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s good enough for fourth-best in the league. Additionally, its penalty kill is ranked 18th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.2 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 29.5 saves per game with a .917 save percentage, Matt Murray (24-15-3) has been the top option in goal for Pittsburgh this season. If Pittsburgh chooses to rest him, however, the team may turn to Casey DeSmith (14-20-5 record, .914 save percentage, 2.86 goals against average).
On the other bench, Buffalo is 30-39 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.0 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 38 of its matches have gone over the total, while 29 have gone under and just two have pushed. It’s 19-15 SU at home this year.
The Sabres have converted on just 18.5 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked seventh overall, and it’s successfully killed off 82.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Carter Hutton (27.5 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for the Sabres. Hutton has 16 wins, 26 losses, and five OT losses and has registered a mediocre 2.82 goals against average and a .912 save percentage this year.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres Betting Predictions
NHL Pick: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Two of the Sabres’ last ten games have ended in a shootout. The team is 0-2 in those games and 4-3 overall in shootouts this season.
- For both of these clubs, the over has hit in three of their last five matchups.
- This game features two teams that have pounded opponents’ goalies with shots. Pittsburgh has attempted the league’s 10th-most shots on goal (32.7) while Buffalo has attempted the 10th-most (32.7).
- Over Pittsburgh’s last ten games, seven of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-2 in those games).
- Pittsburgh skaters have given out the most hits in the league (29.3 per game), but that number’s down to just 21.6 hits over their last five away games.
