Surging Penguins a Slim Favorite Over Sabres

Quinn Allen
By , Updated on: Jan 11, 2023 07:00 PM
Surging Penguins a Slim Favorite Over Sabres

Friday night brings an intriguing matchup between two teams trending in the right direction as the Pittsburgh Penguins visit the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. The puck will drop at 7 PM ET. The Pens are absolutely rolling at the moment, going 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and winning three in a row heading into this contest. Buffalo isn't too shabby either, grabbing back-to-back victories and absolutely hammering the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday by a score of 9-4. Find the Penguins vs Sabres prediction below.

Before we get into the odds and predictions for this game make sure to check out our online sportsbook reviews, and the top NHL betting sites. We cover all things NHL as we lead up to the Stanley Cup, so stay tuned!

Penguins vs Sabres Odds

BetOnlinePucklineMoneylineTotal
Pittsburgh Penguins-1.5 (+170)-150Ov 6.5 (-133)
Buffalo Sabres+1.5 (-195)+136Un 6.5 (+121)

The Penguins are favored by 1.5 goals here with moneyline odds of -150. The Sabres come back at +136. The total comes in at 6.5 and has been hit in two straight meetings, which resulted in wins for Buffalo.

Penguins vs Sabres Betting Outlook

You'll have a hard time finding any team as hot as the Penguins. They're absolutely firing on all cylinders at the moment and possesses one of the top offenses around. Pittsburgh ranks seventh in goals and shots on target, much in part to none other than Sidney Crosby. The veteran is leading the charge with 15 goals and 20 assists in 26 games played and clearly hasn't missed a beat. Jake Guentzel is also doing his part, scoring 12 times and assisting another 14. There are seven players on this roster with a minimum of six goals. Balance. On Tuesday, it was the Sid The Kid show again in a 4-1 victory vs. Columbus. Crosby netted twice in the second period. The Pens scored three of their goals in the second alone and really kept the Jackets at bay. During this current winning streak, Pittsburgh is outscoring their opponents 14-6 and is showing no signs of slowing down. The Sabres will be a tough task though, especially because they've gotten the better of them in recent meetings.

If you want to talk about a squad that is truly fantastic offensively, it's Buffalo. They rank first in the NHL with four goals per game, third in power play percentage, and first in shooting percentage. Tage Thompson is lighting it up in 2022, scoring 21 goals and contributing 19 assists. Five different guys are in double figures when it comes to goals. But the reason they're just 12-13-1 is because of the inability to stop opponents. The Sabres are allowing 3.69 goals per night, which is 28th in the league. The defense is quite literally hopeless at keeping other teams out of their net. Thankfully, Buffalo put up nine goals on Wednesday in Columbus but still allowed four. However, Thompson had a historic night that put his name in the record books. The winger scored four goals in the first period alone and ended up with five in total, also tallying an assist. Alex Tuch was the ultimate provider as well, finishing with a goal and three assists. The Sabres thumped 30 shots on target and really just dominated the Blue Jackets, going up 6-0 in the opening frame. That instantly put the game out of reach.

Penguins vs Sabres Prediction

You got two teams scoring a boatload of goals lately. That's why I'm liking the over here. Neither team is great defensively and there are so many weapons that can do damage in front of net. The -133 looks like a solid pick.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Buffalo Sabres To hit the over in goals
Ov 6.5 (-133)
BetOnline

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Meet the author

Quinn Allen

Quinn Allen leverages his broadcast journalism degree and passion for sports in his betting previews and analysis. Based in Kelowna, Canada, he has emerged as an expert voice with picks featured on OSB, MTS, SBD, and as a ClutchPoints editor. With a lifelong fandom of...

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