Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres Expert NHL Picks Against the Spread 3/14/2019

Thursday, March 14, 2019

KeyBank Center

Get todays NHL hockey odds on this game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins travel to KeyBank Center to play the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday, March 14, 2019. The opening line for this game has the Penguins at -170 and the Sabres at +140.

Pittsburgh has a record of 38-23-9 this season. They are 3rd in the Metropolitan Division. They've scored 241 goals and given up 211 goals for a point differential of +30. For the season they have an ATS record of 37-32-0 and an over/under record of 32-32-0. Buffalo is 30-30-9 this season. They are 6th in the Atlantic Division. They have scored 190 goals and surrendered 218 for a goal differential of -28. Their record against the spread is 30-38-0 while their over/under record is 38-28-0.

Valuable Pittsburgh Penguins Betting Trends

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 37-32-0 straight up this year

The Pittsburgh Penguins are 32-32-0 against the over/under this season

Important Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends

The Buffalo Sabres are 30-38-0 straight up this year

The Buffalo Sabres are 38-28-0 against the over/under this season

Key Pittsburgh Penguins Injuries

03/12/19 D Kris Letang Upper Body is questionable Thursday vs Buffalo
03/12/19 C Zach Aston-Reese Lower Body is questionable Thursday vs Buffalo
02/27/19 RW Bryan Rust Lower Body is out indefinitely
02/27/19 D Chad Ruhwedel Upper Body is out indefinitely
02/12/19 D Olli Maatta Upper Body IR (02/12)

Key Buffalo Sabres Injuries

03/10/19 C Jack Eichel Suspension 2-game suspension (eligible to return 3/16 vs Carolina)
03/04/19 D Jake McCabe Upper Body is out 4-6 weeks

Player Spotlight

Sidney Crosby has accumulated 90 total points this season for the Penguins. He has 33 goals this year with 192 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 17%. He has a total of 57 assists on the season and averages 20.8 minutes played per game. Phil Kessel averages 18.1 minutes of ice time per game this year. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 13% by scoring 23 goals on 179 shots. He has 47 assists, giving him a total of 70 points on the season. Matt Murray has 24 wins and 11 losses this season in net for the Penguins. He has 1,256 shots against him and he's given up 104 goals. He's made 1,152 saves for a save percentage of 92%.

Player Spotlight

Sam Reinhart has scored 58 total points this year for the Sabres. He has 18 goals this season with 151 shots on goal, giving him a shooting percentage of 12%. He has a total of 40 assists on the season and averages 18.9 minutes played per game. Jeff Skinner averages 18.6 minutes of ice time per game. In that time he has a shooting percentage of 16% by scoring 36 goals on 224 shots. He has 22 assists, giving him a total of 58 points on the season. Carter Hutton has 16 wins and 19 losses this year in goal for the Sabres. He has 1,265 shots against him and he's surrendered 111 goals. He's made 1,154 saves for a save percentage of 91%.

Useful Team Statistics

The Penguins have 85 total points this season, which ranks them 8th in the NHL. They are 5th in the league in goals scored with 241 while they've given up 211 goals, ranking them 15th overall. They have had 194 power play opportunities and have scored 49 goals on those chances for a percentage of 25%. That is 5th in the NHL. The Penguins have allowed 197 power play opportunities and have given up 39 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 80%, putting them 17th in the league when short-handed. They average 33 shots per game and as a team shoot 10.54% for the season. They allow 34 shots to their opposition per contest and have a team save percentage of 91%. That puts them 7th in the league in stopping the puck.

Useful Team Statistics

The Sabres are 22nd in the NHL with a total of 69 points this year. They have 38 power play goals on 203 opportunities for a percentage of 19%. That ranks them 18th in the league as a power play unit. They've allowed 180 power play opportunities and have given up 32 goals on those chances for a penalty kill percentage of 82%. That is 6th in the NHL. As a team, the Sabres are 24th in the league with 190 goals scored while they've given up 218 goals, which is 9th overall. They average 33 shots per contest and have a team shooting percentage of 8.43%. As a team they give up 33 shots per game and have a save percentage of 90%. That is 13th in the NHL.

Advanced Statistics

Pittsburgh is 19th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 48.9%, as they've attempted 4,038 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 4,217 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage is 49.3% as they have 3,062 attempts while they have given up 3,143 shots on the defensive end. That ranks them 18th in the league. The Penguins start possessions in the offensive zone 48.6% of the time, which is 24th in the league, while their defensive zone percentage is at 51.4% for the season. That is 7th overall in the NHL. They have 2,103 face-off wins compared to 2,103 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 50%. That ranks them 16th in the league. On defense Pittsburgh has 2,052 hits and they have blocked 1,074 shots from the opposition, putting them 7th overall.

Advanced Statistics

The Sabres are 16th in the league in starting possessions in the offensive zone, doing so 50.7% of the time. Their defensive zone percentage is at 49.3% for the season, which is 15th in the NHL. They have 1,995 face-off wins compared to 2,128 losses, meaning their face-off win percentage is 48.4%. That is 27th in the league. On defense Buffalo has 1,294 hits and they have blocked 867 shots from the opposition, which is 31st in the league. Buffalo is 16th in the NHL in Corsi percentage with 49.8% as they've attempted 3,919 shots on net at full strength while they've given up 3,948 shots on net in the same situations. Their Fenwick percentage of 49.8% ranks 16th as they have 3,051 attempts while they have given up 3,081 shots on the defensive end.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Buffalo +140

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