Bryan Rust, Evgeni Malkin, and the Pittsburgh Penguins will face off against Jack Eichel, Sam Reinhart, and the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in an Eastern Conference tilt. This one will get going at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 5 and it can be seen live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres Odds
Playing the role of favorites will be the Penguins (-170), whereas the Sabres are dogs offering moneyline odds of +150, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-120 for the over, +100 for the under) at Sugarhouse Sportsbook.
Pittsburgh is 38-27 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 1.6 units this year. Through 65 regular season outings, 33 of its games have gone under the total, while 30 have gone over and just two have pushed. The Pens are 15-17 SU on the road in 2019-20.
Pittsburgh has converted on 20.3 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked ninth overall, and it has successfully killed off 82.1 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 25.1 saves per game with a .899 save percentage, Matt Murray (19-16-5) has been the primary option in goal for Pittsburgh this season. If it decides to rest him, however, the team could go with Tristan Jarry (20-12-1), who has a .924 save percentage and 2.31 goals against average this year.
On the other bench, Buffalo is 29-37 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.8 units for moneyline bettors this year. 32 of its games have gone under the total, while 31 have gone over and just three have pushed. It’s 19-14 SU at home this season.
The Sabres have converted on just 19.4 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 32nd overall, and it’s successfully killed off 74.3 percent of all opponent power plays.
Linus Ullmark (28.5 saves per game) has been the primary choice in goal for the Sabres. Ullmark has 16 wins, 17 losses, and three overtime losses to his credit and has registered a pedestrian 2.72 goals against average and a .914 save percentage this season.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Buffalo Sabres Betting Predictions
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
The Sabres are 1-2 in games that go to shootout. The Penguins are 3-0 in shootouts.
The under has hit in three of Buffalo’s last five outings.
Six of Buffalo’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals. The club is 2-4 overall in those games.
Pittsburgh skaters have accounted for the fourth-most hits in the league (27.9 per game), but the team’s recorded just 24.2 hits over their last five away games.