Buffalo Sabres (27-25-8) at Pittsburgh Penguins (37-16-6)
NHL Hockey: Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 1:00 pm (PPG Paints Arena)
The Line: Pittsburgh Penguins -223 / Buffalo Sabres +199 --- Over/Under: 6 Click Here for the Latest Odds
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The Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins meet Saturday in NHL action at the PPG Paints Arena.
The Buffalo Sabres need a win after splitting their last 10 games. The Buffalo Sabres are averaging 2.8 goals per game and are scoring on 19.3 percent of their power play opportunities. Jack Eichel leads Buffalo with 33 goals, Rasmus Dahlin has 31 assists and Sam Reinhart has 123 shots on goal. Defensively, the Buffalo Sabres are allowing 3.1 goals per game and are killing 75 percent of their opponents power plays. Carter Hutton has given up 74 goals on 716 shots faced and Linus Ullmark has allowed 89 goals on 1,031 shots. The Buffalo Sabres have allowed three or less goals in 11 of their last 15 games.
The Pittsburgh Penguins look to stay hot after winning eight of their last 12 games. The Pittsburgh Penguins are averaging 3.3 goals per game and are scoring on 20.5 percent of their power play opportunities. Bryan Rust leads Pittsburgh with 22 goals, Evgeni Malkin has 40 assists and Kris Letang has 149 shots on goal. Defensively, the Pittsburgh Penguins are allowing 2.7 goals per game and are killing 82.5 percent of their opponents power plays. Matt Murray has given up 84 goals on 876 shots faced and Tristan Jarry has allowed 58 goals on 833 shots. The Pittsburgh Penguins have allowed three or less goals in 13 of their last 16 games.
The Sabres are 4-1 in their last 5 games as an underdog, 4-1 in their last 5 vs. Eastern Conference and 13-43 in their last 56 road games. The Penguins are 5-1 in their last 6 Saturday games, 20-6 in their last 26 games as a favorite and 23-9 in their last 32 overall. The under is 5-1 in Sabres last 6 Saturday games. The under is 4-1-2 in Penguins last 7 overall. The Sabres are 2-8 in the last 10 meetings in Pittsburgh and 18-40-3 in the last 61 meetings.
The Buffalo Sabres have been able to find wins here and there and have won three of the last four meetings against the Penguins, so you can make a case for the plus money. The problem is the Pittsburgh Penguins have been a buzzsaw these last few weeks and shouldn't be a team you're willing to step in front of at the moment. The Penguins are the third most profitable team in the sport and don't seem to be cooling down anytime soon. Give me the home team and the PL for added value.
Randy’s Pick Pittsburgh Penguins -1.5
AUTHOR: Randy Chambers
Follow Randy Chambers on Twitter @WizardOf0dds