The Pittsburgh Penguins (15-9-1) begin a two-game set on the road against the Buffalo Sabres (6-14-4) Thursday with a 7 p.m. ET puck drop at KeyBank Center. Below, we analyze the Penguins-Sabres odds and lines, with NHL picks and predictions.
Penguins at Sabres: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Penguins -200 (bet $200 to win $100) | Sabres +170 (bet $100 to win $170)
- Against the spread/ATS: Penguins -1.5 (+135) | Sabres +1.5 (-160)
- Over/Under: 6 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Penguins at Sabres: Projected starting goalies
Tristan Jarry (10-7-1, 3.05 GAA, .900 SV%) vs. Carter Hutton (1-7-1, 3.40 GAA, .883 SV%)
Jarry is looking to match a season-high three-game win streak. He allowed two goals on 35 shots Tuesday against the New York Rangers and stopped 19 of 22 shots against the Philadelphia Flyers Saturday. Jarry hasn’t faced the Sabres yet this season.
Hutton has been doing the heavy lifting with Linus Ullmark battling a lower-body injury. He hasn’t been handling the extra workload well, having coughed up 3 or more goals in each of his past four starts, including 5 goals on 29 shots in a 5-2 road loss against the New York Islanders Saturday.
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Penguins at Sabres: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Penguins 4, Sabres 2
Money line (ML)
The Penguins (-200) will cost you two times your potential return. While the Sabres are playing awful hockey right now, with no improvement in sight, risking two times your return is not a good long-term betting strategy.
AVOID, and look to the puck line instead.
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Against the spread (ATS)
The PENGUINS -1.5 (+135) are a much better value at plus-money, even on the road. The Sabres haven’t won since Feb. 23, going 0-6-2 across their past eight outings.
With superstar C Jack Eichel (upper body) on the shelf with Ullmark, Buffalo is having a hard time treading water and avoiding loss after loss.
Over/Under (O/U)
I expect a TOTAL of 6, which would be right on the number. Look to the alternate line and take OVER 5.5 (-145) instead.
Buffalo is skidding hard and has allowed 19 total goals in regulation over its past four outings.
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