Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, 5/6/2021 NHL Pick, Tips and Odds
![Buffalo Sabres defenseman Jacob Bryson](http://www.docsports.com/images/lib/large/jacob-bryson.jpg)
Game: Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Date: Thursday, May 6, 2021
Location: PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA
TV: MSG-B
Odds/Point Spread: Sabres (+295) Penguins (-355)
PPG Paints Arena is the venue where Tristan Jarry and the Pittsburgh Penguins (35-16-3) will play the Buffalo Sabres (15-32-7) on Thursday. The Penguins open this game at -355 while the Sabres are coming in at +295. The total has been set at 5.5.
The Sabres were on the winning side of the scoreboard with a 4-3 victory against the Islanders in the last game they played. The Corsi for the Sabres was 51 and the Corsi against when this game finished was 72 which means they had a Corsi rate of 41.5%. Their starts in the offensive zone came in at 31.4% and their PDO rating was 105.2 for this one. Buffalo had 2 penalty minutes in this outing. The Sabres had a impressive offensive performance in the victory. Their Fenwick came in at 40 and the Fenwick against was 58, meaning they had a Fenwick percentage of 40.8%. They totaled 14 face-off wins at even strength and lost on 32 attempts to win the face-off. Furthermore, they had 1 opportunity with more players on the ice but weren't able to notch a goal. For the game, they scored on 4 out of the 31 shots they launched.
With regard to their scoring, the Buffalo Sabres have racked up 130 goals (27th in the league) so far this year and have given up 187. For the current campaign, they have recorded 37 points and their points percentage is sitting at .343. Buffalo has tallied 140 power play opportunities and they have added 29 goals during those advantages, earning them a rate of 20.71%. While playing at even strength, the Sabres let the opposition score 157 goals while notching 101 as an offensive unit. Buffalo has attempted 1,540 shots and has a shooting percentage of 8.4%. The Sabres have had 1,832 shots taken against them and hold a save percentage of .898. Buffalo Sabres opponents have totaled 136 power play opportunities (27th in the NHL) and have scored 30 goals in those attempts.
The player protecting the goal in this game is Linus Ullmark. Ullmark has been involved in 117 games over the course of his hockey career. He has compiled an overall record of 50-47-13 and he has started in 112 games. Opponents have been able to score 309 goals versus Ullmark in his pro career and his average for goals against per game is 2.78. Ullmark has seen 3,527 shots taken against him and he has 3,218 total saves. His save percentage is at .912 during his 6,676 mins played. Over the course of his pro career, Ullmark has recorded 63 quality starts and his rate for quality starts is .563.
In their last game, Pittsburgh played the Flyers in an outing where the Penguins notched a win by a score of 7-3. Pittsburgh wrapped up this game with a 43.1% Corsi rating. These Corsi stats tell us the story of the kind of game Pittsburgh had and they looked like the better team in this game. Their Fenwick percentage was 42.7% by way of having a Fenwick of 35 and the Flyers having notched a 47 Fenwick. Their PDO was 110 and they had an oZS percentage of 56.4%. The Penguins netted 7 goals out of the 31 shots on goal they attempted. They had 3 power play opportunities in this game and notched 2 out of those tries.
The Penguins are sitting with 149 goals at even strength and 35 goals (11th in the NHL) while having a power play advantage. Pittsburgh has tried 1,627 shots (6th in pro hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 11.31%, while allowing their opponents 1,627 shots. During this campaign, the Pittsburgh Penguins have accumulated 184 goals, 73 points, in addition to a points percentage of .676. They have earned 149 power play chances and they have a power play percentage of 23.49%. They have earned a penalty kill percentage of 77.63% on the other teams 152 tries on the power play, and their save percentage is 90.7%. They have granted a total of 151 goals to be scored by of a combination of 117 goals at even strength and 34 goals while they had less men on the ice.
On the other side of the ice you are going to see Tristan Jarry protecting the goal. Jarry has amassed a career mark of 58-29-7 and has played in 100 games. Jarry's rate of quality starts is 58.5% and he has 55 quality starting assignments in his hockey career. He has accrued 2,589 saves out of the 2,836 shots taken against him, giving him a save % of .913. Teams are averaging 2.65 goals per game and he has yielded 247 goals altogether. He has started in 94 games and has played 5,594 mins.
Who will win tonight's hockey game against the spread?
Josh's Pick: Take Buffalo (+295)
Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here
Get all of Tonight's Free NHL Picks.
Get all of Tonight's Expert Expert NHL Picks.
Additional Resources:
Pittsburgh Penguins - Twitter
Buffalo Sabres - Twitter