Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA – Photo by Icon sport

Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins: Both teams are coming off wins

The Pittsburgh Penguins are hosting the Buffalo Sabres today at PPG Paints Arena.

The Sabres are off to a tough start of the season

The Buffalo Sabres are at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 1-3-0 record and 0-1-0 on the road. After losing the first three games to the New Jersey Devils in Prague and to the Los Angeles Kings, the Sabres won 5-2 against the Florida Panthers in their last one. Right winger Alex Tuch is the best player on the team so far with 4 points.

The Penguins are back home

The Pittsburgh Penguins are eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 2-2-0 record and 0-1-0 at home. After losing the opener to the New York Rangers, the Penguins went on a three-game road trip. They returned home with wins against the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens and a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Evgeni Malkin leads the team with 7 points so far in the season and is tied for first place in the league with 6 assists.

Betting Trends

The Penguins are 6-2 SU in their last 8 games overall and 5-12 SU in their last 17 games played in October. Pittsburgh has played under the total goal line in 4 of their last 5 games against Buffalo and their last 6 home games against them, while they have gone over in 5 of their last 7 games against teams from the Eastern Conference. The Sabres are 3-6 SU in their last 9 games overall, 6-12 SU in their last 18 games against the Penguins, 9-2 SU in their last 11 games against teams from the Metropolitan Division and 2-4 SU in their last 6 games in October. Buffalo has played under the total goal line in 6 of their last 9 games overall and 5 of their last 6 games on the road.

Prediction and Conclusion

The Buffalo Sabres came into the season ready to make a huge jump compared to last year, but we have yet to see any improvement. They scored only a goal in three of the four games so far in the season, which is not the way to be competitive in the Eastern Conference. The Pittsburgh Penguins are much better at winning a pair of games on the road, and given the current form and previous head-to-head matchups, they are the favorites in this one. Still, the Penguins are not as efficient as they can be, so the best pick for this game is under 6.5 goals in total.