Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
There’s little more than pride left on the line as the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins meet late in the regular season. For the Sabres, the playoff picture has been out of reach for a while, and for the Penguins, a heavy defeat to the Tampa Bay Lightning (1:6) earlier this week has all but closed the door on a post-season run. Both sides now look set to play out the remainder of their campaigns for the benefit of season ticket holders and locker-room morale.
Buffalo Sabres
Lindy Ruff has already admitted that managing the Sabres may be one of the toughest assignments of his coaching career — and it’s not hard to see why. The franchise continues to grapple with erratic strategic direction, regular overhauls, and questionable decisions at management level. The Sabres have completely fallen apart defensively this spring, allowing 3.94 goals per game while conceding 3.23 xG — both among the five worst marks in the league.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Not far behind are the Penguins, who have also slumped defensively. While they have improved marginally from their worst stretches, they continue to give up far too many goals. In each of their last six games, the Penguins have conceded at least three, and in March alone they’ve allowed more xG per game than even the Buffalo Sabres (3.31). They’ve managed to stay competitive mostly thanks to a high shooting percentage (12.54%), masking deeper issues in structure and discipline.
Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction
The season series has already delivered fireworks. Across their two previous meetings, the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins combined for 18 goals. That sort of output hasn’t come from slick, structured offensive play, but from catastrophic breakdowns at the back and the presence of a few decent finishers. Expect more of the same here. With Sidney Crosby, Bryan Rust and Rickard Rakell on one side, and Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka on the other, there should be no shortage of chances.
