Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins Predictions, Free NHL Picks 2/22/2020

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Date: Saturday, February 22, 2020

Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: MSGB/ATTP

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (+199) Penguins (-223)

Total/Over-Under: 6

PPG Paints Arena is the site where Tristan Jarry and the Pittsburgh Penguins (37-16-6, 1st in the Metropolitan Division) will take on the Buffalo Sabres (27-25-8, 6th in the Atlantic Division) on Saturday. The Penguins open this matchup at -223 while the Sabres are coming in at +199. The total opens at 6. The Sabres are covering 44.1% of the time, having gone 26-33 SU. Pittsburgh is covering 60.7% of the time, going 34-22 straight up.

The Buffalo Sabres head into this game holding a record of 27 wins and 25 defeats, which puts them at 6th in the Atlantic Division. During the season thus far, they have racked up a total of 174 goals which ranks them 11th in the Eastern Conference and 20th in the NHL. Their goal differential is -14, which puts them at 23rd in the NHL. The Sabres have a total of 62 points, which ranks them 24th in the NHL and 13th in the conference. When discussing shots at the opposition, they have a total of 1,755 which ranks them 14th in the conference and 28th in the NHL. As a unit, Buffalo has compiled a total of 1,041 hits which means they have an average of 17.4 per game. They have a total of 568 blocks for this year. The man between the pipes for Buffalo is Carter Hutton from Savonlinna, Finland. He is 34 years old and has been on the ice a total of 1,483 mins defending the net for the season. Hutton is giving up 3.24 goals against average which ranks him 29th among Eastern Conference goaltenders and 59th among goalies in the NHL. For the season, he has allowed 80 goals. His save % is .894 which ranks him 30th among Eastern Conference goaltenders.

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The Buffalo Sabres had a rough game after their 7 - 4 loss against the Ottawa Senators in their last game. The Sabres had a impressive offensive outing in this loss. For this game, they earned a goal on 4 of the 27 shots they put on net. Furthermore, they had 4 power play opportunities and notched 1 goal out of those attempts. Buffalo had a total of 4 penalty mins while out there on the ice. The Corsi for the Sabres was 51 and the Corsi against was 56 meaning they had a Corsi percentage of 47.7%. Their Fenwick sat at 42 while the Fenwick against was 45, which means they earned a Fenwick percentage of 48.3%. They earned 23 face-off wins and were beaten on 34 attempts to control the puck. Their offensive zone starts came in at 43.3% and they had a PDO at even strength of 103.7 for this matchup. Regarding their opponent, the Ottawa Senators earned a total of 40 shots. They finished with 8 penalty mins and they earned 2 power play opportunities.

The Penguins will be looking to get a victory in this matchup and for the season they sit with 37 victories and 16 defeats. When it comes to goal differential, they are sitting 3rd in the East and 4th in the NHL with +35. They have earned a total of 193 goals for this year which ranks them 8th in the conference. Pittsburgh has a save % as a team of .911 which has them ranked 8th in the NHL, meaning they are a tough group to score against. They have a team shooting percentage of 10.3% which puts them at 6th in the conference. In net for Pittsburgh is Tristan Jarry who is having an ok season by giving up 2.13 GAA and that has him 2nd among East goaltenders and 2nd among goaltenders in the NHL. In the 1,688 mins he has played this year, he's given up 60 goals. He has a save percentage of .931, which has him sitting 4th among East goaltenders and 4th among goaltenders in the NHL.

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The Pittsburgh Penguins squared up with the Toronto Maple Leafs in a matchup where the Penguins got the victory by a tally of 5 - 2. For this game, Pittsburgh earned a 41.8% Corsi rating. That percentage was had by earning a Corsi of 33 while the opposition earned a Corsi of 46. Their Fenwick rate came in at 42.4% with a Fenwick of 28 and the Maple Leafs earning a 38 Fenwick at even strength. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Pittsburgh played and they looked good in this game. Their PDO at even strength was 102.6 and they had an oZS percentage of 36.7%. The Penguins notched 5 goals out of the 24 shots on goal they pursued. They had 3 power play chances in this game and converted 3 out of those tries. On the other side of the ice, the Maple Leafs had 4 power play attempts but didn't put the puck in goal. Pittsburgh conceded 36 shots on goal and the Maple Leafs had 6 minutes in the box.

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

Guy's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (-223)

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