Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, 3/25/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins

Date: Thursday, March 25, 2021

Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA

TV: MSG-B

Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (+260) Penguins (-320)

PPG Paints Arena is the site where Casey DeSmith and the Pittsburgh Penguins (19-11-2) will take on the Buffalo Sabres (6-20-4) on Thursday. The odds on this contest have the Sabres coming in at +260 and the Penguins are at -320. The over/under is set at 5.5.

The Sabres will need a bounce back game after taking a 5-3 loss against the Rangers the last time they stepped on the ice. The Corsi for the Sabres was 37 and the Corsi against was 56 meaning they had a Corsi rate of 39.8%. The offensive zone starts for them were rated at 43.0% and they had a PDO at even strength of 109.4 in this game. Buffalo earned 6 penalty mins in this game. The Sabres had an average offensive output in this defeat. Their Fenwick came in at 24 and the Fenwick Against sat at 41, meaning they had a Fenwick percentage of 36.9%. They had 26 face-off wins at even strength and lost on 20 opportunities to gain puck control. Moreover, they had 2 chances with the advantage but weren't able to score a goal. For the matchup, they finished 3 out of the 19 shots they put on net.

Buffalo Sabres opponents have totaled 72 power play opportunities (31st in hockey) and have come away with 17 goals in those chances. The Sabres have had 938 shots taken against them and have a save percentage of .889. Buffalo has attempted 829 shots and has a shot percentage of 7.5%. While playing at even strength, the Sabres have allowed the opponent to score 87 goals while scoring 43 on offense. Buffalo skates onto the rink with 76 power play opportunities and they have notched 19 goals during those advantages, giving them a percentage of 25.00%. For the current campaign, they have recorded 16 points and their points % is .267. In relation to their scoring, the Buffalo Sabres have racked up 62 goals (31st in the NHL) so far this year and have conceded 104.

The player protecting the goal in this game is Dustin Tokarski. Tokarski has played in 35 games during his NHL career. He has amassed an overall record of 10-13-5 and he has gotten the start in 27 games. The opposition has scored 84 goals versus Tokarski in his pro career and his goals against average per contest is 2.88. Tokarski has seen 874 shots against him and has recorded 790 saves. His save percentage currently is .904 during his 1,748 minutes in the crease. In his career, Tokarski has earned 12 quality starts and his quality starts rate sits at .444.

The last time they were on the ice, Pittsburgh faced the Devils in an outing where the Penguins took the defeat by a final score of 2-1. Their PDO was 97 and their percentage of oZS was 57.3%. They had 2 attempts on the power play in this game but weren't able to notch a goal. Their Fenwick percentage came in at 49.4% by way of having a Fenwick of 38 and the Devils having accrued a 39 Fenwick. The Penguins scored 1 goal of the 36 shots on goal they attempted. Pittsburgh wound up with a 48.5% Corsi rate. These Corsi statistics are telling of the type of game that Pittsburgh played and we're sure they will look for better performances in the future.

So far this year, the Pittsburgh Penguins have tallied 97 goals, 40 points, and a points percentage of .625. They have allowed 88 goals to be scored by of a combination of 65 goals at even strength and 23 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Penguins have earned 80 goals at even strength and 17 goals (24th in hockey) while on the power play. They have earned 90 power play chances and they have accumulated a power play rate of 18.89%. Pittsburgh has attempted 947 shots (14th in pro hockey) and has earned a shot percentage of 10.24%, while allowing the other team 955 shots. They have earned a penalty kill rate of 75.79% on their opponents 95 tries on the power play, and their save percentage currently comes in at 90.8%.

On the other side of the ice you will find Casey DeSmith in the crease. He has a tally of 1,560 stops out of the 1,700 shots taken, which gives him a rate of .918. DeSmith holds a lifetime record of 28-18-6 and has played in 61 games. He has been a starter 51 games and has played for a total of 3,299 minutes. DeSmith's quality start percentage sits at 60.8% and he has earned 31 quality starts in his NHL career. His opponents are averaging 2.55 goals per contest and he has given up 140 goals altogether.

Who will win tonight's NHL game ATS?

Josh's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (-320)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here