The Pittsburgh Penguins (29-33-11) travel to face off against the Buffalo Sabres (29-35-6) on Thursday, March 27th. This game will be played at KeyBank Center in Buffalo and televised on ESPN+. The Penguins are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Sabres are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Red Wings. Puck drop is set for 7:00 ET.

Penguins vs Sabres

The Pittsburgh Penguins Are Coming Off A Win

With a 3-1 win over the Canadiens, the Penguins improved to 29-33-11. Pittsburgh covered the puck line as -1.5 goal favorites, and the total of 4 goals fell short of the 6.5 set before the game.

Sidney Crosby scored the first two goals for the Penguins, and Blake Lizotte added an empty-netter to seal the win. The Canadiens scored their only goal in the third period.

The Buffalo Sabres Look To Bounce Back From A Loss

Buffalo fell to 29-35-6 after a 2-1 road loss to the Red Wings. The Sabres were underdogs on the puck line, and the total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 3 fell well short of that mark.

Alex Tuch put the Sabres on the board first, scoring at 11:39 in the opening period. However, the Red Wings responded with two goals in the second period, both from Dylan Larkin, to secure the win.

Pittsburgh Offense Breakdown

Sidney Crosby led the way for Pittsburgh with two goals, finding the net for the fourth and fifth times this season. He scored early in the first period and added a power-play goal in the second. Blake Lizotte chipped in with his second goal of the year, sealing the game with an empty-netter at 19:15 in the third.

The Penguins took 24 shots on goal and recorded 14 giveaways. Lars Eller picked up his third assist on Lizotte’s empty-net goal, while Kris Letang and Erik Karlsson were credited with assists on Crosby’s second goal, giving Letang his third assist of the season and Karlsson his seventh.

Sabres Offense Breakdown

Buffalo managed 32 shots on goal in their 2-1 loss to Detroit, but only found the net once. Alex Tuch scored his 5th goal of the season, coming on a shorthanded opportunity 8:21 into the first period. The Sabres were held without an assist and went scoreless after the first period.

Buffalo gave the puck away 13 times and failed to capitalize on any power play chances. Tuch led the team with 5 shots on goal.

Pittsburgh Team Defense

Defensively, the Penguins will look to build on their previous game, where they allowed just one goal to the Canadiens. Alex Nedeljkovic made 25 saves, posting a 96.2% save percentage. Pittsburgh’s defense also contributed 5 takeaways, 19 hits, and 19 blocks.

Buffalo Team Defense

Buffalo’s defense had a strong first period, but they allowed two goals in the second, both on the power play. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 21 saves with a 91.3% save percentage, and the defense added 5 takeaways and 17 hits.

Penguins vs Sabres Trends

• In their last ten games away from home, the Penguins have a straight up record of 3-7 while going 5-5 vs. the spread. The team averaged 1 goals per game in this stretch.
• When looking at their past five home matchups, Buffalo has an puck line record of 3-2 while averaging 2 per game. The team went 3-2 overall in these games.
• As the betting underdog, the Sabres have an puck line mark of just 6-4 in their last ten games. Buffalo posted a straight up mark of 5-5 in these matchups.
• Going back to their previous five games as the favorite, Pittsburgh has an puck line mark of 1-4 while going 2-3 straight up.

Penguins vs Sabres Prediction

For a moneyline pick, I’m taking the Sabres to pick up on a win over the Penguins at home. With the moneyline sitting at -137, I’ll be locking in a bet on the Sabres straight-up.

When it comes to a puck line pick, our choice is the Sabres to secure the win and cover. Expect the Sabres to dominate this one with a multi-goal win over the Penguins.

When considering the over/under line, which is currently at 6.5 goals, we believe that this game will remain below that figure, and we recommend wagering on the under.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.