The Penguins visit the Sabres at KeyBank Center. Welcome back to NHL Predictions here on Last Word on Hockey! Each day, we provide in-depth analysis, insights, and predictions for all the NHL’s games. In today’s matchup, the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Buffalo Sabres in an Eastern Conference showdown. Both teams are looking to gain some points in the standings in the last stretch of the season.
Time: 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
TV: ESPN+, Sportsnet Pittsburgh, MSG Buffalo
This will be the third meeting between these teams this season. The Penguins have taken the first games by scores 6-5 and 5-2. Pittsburgh is seeking the three-game season-sweep of Buffalo.
Pittsburgh is coming off an embarrassing 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night. With the loss, the team moved to 29-33-11 on the season, sitting third-last in the conference and eighth-last in the league. Pittsburgh has had a rocky stretch since the trade deadline, with a 5-4-1 record in their last ten. Having played the most games in the league so far with 73, the team could fall further down the standings.
Closing in on the end of the season, Captain Sidney Crosby has nearly locked down his record 20th straight point-per-game season. Scoring 79 points in 71 games, he needs just one more point to guarantee this achievement. Rickard Rakell has scored 32 goals and 62 points on Crosby’s wing. Against the Sabres, Crosby, Rakell and their line-mate Bryan Rust will have pivotal roles in leading the offence.
The Sabres come into this contest off of a 3-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night. Buffalo is 29-35-6 on the season, sitting bottom of the Eastern Conference, and fourth-last in the league. With a 5-5-0 record in their last ten, the Sabres have stabilized their play, getting ready for a high-draft pick and another shot at the Stanley Cup Playoffs next season.
The Sabres are led offensively by centre Tage Thompson, scoring 35 goals and 61 points playing on the top-line. The top-six of the team has played well relative to the teams standings. Young gun JJ Peterka is second in team scoring, with 22 goals and 55 points through 65 games. A key factor in defeating Pittsburgh will be offence from the back-end. Captain Rasmus Dahlin has scored 55 points, and will be a pivotal player in the game against the Penguins.
The Buffalo Sabres have some momentum, with two straight wins. With the Penguins coming off a tough Florida road-trip, expect the Sabres to win this one.
Prediction: Sabres win 5-3.
We round out this edition of NHL predictions with some of our favourite prop bets. Total Goals Over-7 (+200): Both teams in this contest play a high-tempo game, with many defensive inefficiencies.
Main photo by: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
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