Sunday, March 5, 2017

Consol Energy Center

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The Buffalo Sabres travel to Consol Energy Center to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday, March 5, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Sabres at +248 and the Penguins at -280. The over/under has been set at 5.5.

Buffalo comes into this matchup having played 64 games. They have an overall record of 27-26-11 and on the road they have a record of 11-15-6. Currently they are 7th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 162 goals and given up 184 goals for a point differential of -22. The Sabres have an overall record of 5-4-1 in their last 10 games. For the season they have an ATS record of 26-37 and an over/under record of 28-30-6. Pittsburgh shows up with a record of 39-16-8 including 26-4-3 at home this season. They are 3rd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 219 goals and surrendered 177 for a goal differential of +42. The Penguins have a record of 5-3-2 in their last 10 contests. Their record against the spread is 37-24 while their over/under record sits at 38-21-4.

For expert handicapping advice on this game check out our NHL expert handicapper tips.

Kyle Okposo has accumulated 43 total points this season for the Sabres. He has 19 goals this season with 151 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 13%. He has a total of 24 assists on the season and averages 19.1 minutes played per game. Sam Reinhart has averaged 17.4 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 15 goals on 147 shots. He has 25 assists giving him a total of 40 points on the season. Robin Lehner has 18 wins and 18 losses this season in net for the Sabres. He has had 1,473 shots against him and has given up 116 goals. He has made 1,357 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Sidney Crosby has accumulated 69 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 34 goals this season with 185 shots on goal giving him a shooting percentage of 18%. He has a total of 35 assists on the season and averages 19.7 minutes played per game. Evgeni Malkin has averaged 18.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 17% by scoring 28 goals on 168 shots. He has 37 assists giving him a total of 65 points on the season. Matthew Murray has 24 wins and 8 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has had 1,066 shots against him and has given up 79 goals. He has made 987 saves for a save percentage of 93%.

The Sabres have 65 total points this season. They have scored 162 goals while giving up 184 goals. They have had 193 power play opportunities and have scored 44 goals on those chances for a percentage of 23%. The Sabres have allowed 188 power play opportunities and given up 45 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 76%. They average 30 shots per game and as a team are shooting 8.46% for the season to this point. They allow 34 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 92%.

The Penguins have a total of 86 points on the season. They have 46 power play goals on 207 opportunities thus far for a percentage of 22%. They have allowed 207 power play opportunities and have given up 41 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%. As a team, the Sabres have a total of 219 goals scored while they've given up 177 goals to this point. They average 34 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 10.26%. As a team they give up 32 shots per game and have a save percentage of 91%.

Buffalo has a Corsi percentage of 47.1% as they've attempted 3,443 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,862 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is at 46.8% as they have 2,616 attempts while they've given up 2,976 shots on the defensive end. The Sabres start possessions in the offensive zone 48% of the time while their defensive zone percentage is at 52% for the season. They have 1,930 face off wins compared to 1,932 losses, meaning their faceoff win percentage is 50%. On defense has 1,480 hits and they've blocked 886 shots from the opposition.

Pittsburgh has attempted 3,733 shots at full strength and they've given up 3,705 attempts, meaning their Corsi percentage is at 50.2% for the season. In terms of Fenwick percentage, they currently are at 51.4% as they have 2,841 shots while they've given up 2,685 attempts on defense. The Penguins have an offensive zone percentage of 53.7% and their defensive zone percentage is 46.3% so far this season. They have a faceoff win percentage of 47.9% as they've compiled 1,908 face off wins this season and they have suffered 2,075 face off losses. On defense has blocked 1,020 shot attempts and they have 1,612 hits as a unit.

Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 26-37 straight up

The Buffalo Sabres are 28-30-6 against the over/under

Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 37-24 straight up

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 38-21-4 against the over/under

Buffalo Sabres Injuries

12/31/16 C Johan Larsson Wrist out for season
11/12/16 C Cody McCormick Blood Clot out indefinitely
03/03/17 RW Kyle Okposo Ribs out indefinitely
02/18/17 C Derek Grant Shoulder out indefinitely
02/10/17 C Zemgus Girgensons Abdominal out indefinitely
02/04/17 LW William Carrier Knee out indefinitely

Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

10/29/16 RW Daniel Sprong Shoulder out indefinitely
10/21/16 D Derrick Pouliot Lower Body out indefinitely
03/04/17 D Kris Letang Upper Body expected to miss Sunday vs. Buffalo
02/23/17 D Trevor Daley Knee expected to miss 4-6 weeks
02/17/17 D Olli Maatta Hand expected to miss 6 weeks
02/13/17 RW Bryan Rust Arm out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take Pittsburgh -280

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