Sabres vs. Penguins Prediction, Odds, Total for Wednesday, Oct. 16
The Pittsburgh Penguins are an interesting evaluation this year. So far, Sid the Kid hasn't jumped off the screen and mangled the scoresheet, Evgeni Malkin has 7 points which is tied for first along with Jack Eichel and Artemi Panarin, the bottom six actually drives play quite well, but Jarry has regressed way below his career averages and has started a goalie controversy.
It's an interesting blend of circumstances that much like many others league wide, nobody could've predicted.
As the dust settles over the next couple of weeks some of these narratives will undoubtedly change, but at the other end of the rink in this one the Sabres have picked up right where they left off from last season, struggling to find any offensive jam whatsoever and looking very frustrated over that narrative hanging over them as evident by Rasmus Dahlin's running of Peyton Krebs at practice yesterday and subsequent fight.
I don't condone that kind of thing, the hit itself was an open ice hip check which is pretty dangerous to be dishing out to your own teammate. It's been said but not confirmed that Krebs may have caught him with a high stick just a little earlier in the sequence but even still, it was ugly.
On the other hand, sometimes these moments can spark a team to rally in the heat of the moment...
Sabres vs. Penguins Odds
Moneyline
- Sabres +110
- Penguins -130
Puck Line:
- Sabres +1.5 (-225)
- Penguins -1.5 (+185
Total:
- OVER 6.0 (-120)
- UNDER 6.0 (+100)
Sabres vs. Penguins Prediction and Pick
Okay so the Sabres metrics so far are not good on offence we know that, and last year it was quite bad for long stretches and therefore, if this trend continues it's a reasonable question to ask, does this lineup have it?
Defensively, they definitely do have it. They've allowed on average per game three goals which is tied for 10th, and they have suppressed shots at an impressive rate, 27 per game good for 8th.
Ukko -Pekka Luukkonen hasn't been great however and I do think he'll get the start in this one but keep your eye on this. At the other end of the sheet, it's likely to be Jarry again who struggled early against the Habs in his previous start but got it going in the latter half of the game.
I like the over here. Both teams have volatile goaltending which plays hard here with the number being 6 and no hook. But beyond that, the Sabres lack of offence notwithstanding, the data gives us a glimpse of what we can expect.
Pittsburgh's goals per game is at 3.5 which is good for 11th, and that's without Sidney Crosby generating a ton of offence yet. Going against a bad goalie and poor offensive unit that doesn't sustain a lot of attack will help him get on the board here. I like his over 0.5 points as well, sprinkle that in.
Pick: OVER 6.0 -120 & Sidney Crosby over 0.5 points
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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