The Buffalo Sabres, led by Jack Eichel and Jeff Skinner, are ready to take the ice against Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, and the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena for an Eastern Conference tilt. The game gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, November 19, and fans at home can catch it live on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Odds
Buffalo is 12-8 straight up (SU) and has earned moneyline bettors 6.8 units this season. Through 20 regular season contests, 10 of its games have gone over the total, while nine have gone under and one has pushed. This 2018-19 Sabres team is 6-5 SU on the road.
Buffalo has converted on 18.2 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. Its penalty kill is ranked 12th overall, and the team’s successfully killed off 81.4 percent of its penalties..
Averaging 27.1 saves per game with a .919 save percentage, Carter Hutton (8-7-1) has been the primary option in goal for Buffalo this season. If Buffalo chooses to rest him, however, head coach Phil Housley may go with Linus Ullmark (5-1-1), who has a .922 save percentage and 2.65 goals against average this year.
Pittsburgh is 7-11 straight up (SU) and has already lost 11.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 18 regular season matches, eight of its games have gone under the total, while seven have gone over and three have pushed. The team is 3-6 SU at home this year.
The Penguins have converted on 25.5 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s good enough for 10th-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 16th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 80.0 percent of all opponent power plays.
Matt Murray (25.3 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for the Penguins. Murray has four wins, seven losses, and one OT loss to his credit and has registered a poor .877 save percentage and 4.08 goals against average this year.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Free Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Penguins, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Trends
Seven of Pittsburgh’s last ten outings have been decided by two or more goals. The team is 2-5 overall in those games.
The Penguins are 2-5 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 5-7 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
Buffalo is 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Pittsburgh is 0-2 in shootouts.
Buffalo may hold an advantage if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 6-2 in games decided by one goal, while Pittsburgh is 2-5 in such games.
The under has hit in three of Buffalo’s last five outings.
Buffalo skaters have averaged 7.6 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 8.3 giveaways per game (ranked 10th).
Pittsburgh is ranked 17th this season with 9.8 giveaways per game. That figure has improved recently, however, as it’s averaged 8.5 giveaways over its last 10 games and 6.6 giveaways over its last five.
The Penguins this season have recorded the most hits in the league (30.2 per game), but the club has averaged 36.8 over their last five games as the home team.
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