Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres NHL Picks & Predictions 12/1/2017

Friday, December 1, 2017

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Friday, December 1, 2017. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at -210 and the Sabres at +175.

Pittsburgh has a record of 13-10-3 this season and on the road they have a record of 5-8-2. They are 5th in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 74 goals and given up 90 goals for a point differential of -16. For the season they have an ATS record of 13-13-0 and an over/under record of 15-11-0. Buffalo is 6-15-4 including 3-8-1 at home this season. They are 8th in the Atlantic Division. They've scored 55 goals and surrendered 85 for a goal differential of -30. Their record against the spread is 6-19-0 while their over/under record is 10-13-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 13-13-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 15-11-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 6-19-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 10-13-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

11/30/17 C Evgeni Malkin Upper Body is "?" Friday vs Buffalo
11/28/17 GO Matt Murray Lower Body IR (11/28)

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

11/28/17 D Zach Bogosian Lower Body is "?" Friday vs Pittsburgh
11/27/17 C Jacob Josefson Ankle IR (11/26)
11/17/17 D Taylor Fedun Lower Body IR (11/15)
11/14/17 D Matt Tennyson Foot IR (11/05)

Player Spotlight

Phil Kessel has accumulated 32 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 11 goals this year with 99 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 11%. He has a total of 21 assists on the season and averages 18.2 minutes played per game. Sidney Crosby averages 20.8 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 12% by scoring 10 goals on 85 shots. He has 15 assists, giving him a total of 25 points on the season. Tristan Jarry has 2 wins and 0 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 107 shots against him and he's given up 10 goals. He's made 97 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Player Spotlight

Jason Pominville has scored 14 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 6 goals this season with 49 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 8 assists on the season and averages 15.4 minutes played per game. Evander Kane averages 20.1 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 10% by scoring 12 goals on 117 shots. He has 11 assists, giving him a total of 23 points on the season. Robin Lehner has 5 wins and 11 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 512 shots against him and he's surrendered 48 goals. He's made 464 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have 29 total points this season, which ranks them 11th in the NHL. They are 12th in the league in goals scored with 74 while they've given up 90 goals, ranking them 2nd overall. They have had 99 power play opportunities and have scored 26 goals on those chances for a percentage of 26%. That is 2nd in the NHL. The Penguins have allowed 103 power play opportunities and have given up 24 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 77%, putting them 26th in the league when short-handed. They average 36 shots per game and as a team shoot 7.99% for the season. They allow 32 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 89%. That puts them 30th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres are 31st in the NHL with a total of 16 points this year. They have 10 power play goals on 78 opportunities for a percentage of 13%. That ranks them 30th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 74 power play opportunities and have given up 14 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 81%. That is 13th in the NHL. As a team, the Sabres are 31st in the league with 55 goals scored while they've given up 85 goals, which is 3rd overall. They average 31 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 7.12%. As a team they give up 31 shots per game and have a save percentage of 89%. That is 29th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh is 11th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 51.3%, as they've attempted 1,592 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,510 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 52.5% as they have 1,235 attempts while they have given up 1,116 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 6th in the league. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 53.8% of the time, which is 6th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 46.2% for the season. That is 25th overall in the NHL. They have 843 face-off wins compared to 844 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50%. That ranks them 20th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 620 hits and they have blocked 394 shots from the opposition, putting them 3rd overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres are 8th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 53.3% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 46.7% for the season, which is 22nd in the NHL. They have 782 face-off wins compared to 740 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 51.4%. That is 11th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 556 hits and they have blocked 331 shots from the opposition, which is 25th in the league. Buffalo is 20th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.2% as they've attempted 1,358 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 1,404 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.1% ranks 20th as they have 1,037 attempts while they have given up 1,073 shots on the defensive end.

Who will win tonight's Penguins/Sabres NHL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take Buffalo +175

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