Avs vs. Wings NHL Spread/Handicapping
The Pittsburgh Penguins have become very accustomed to playing without their full complement of stars over the years and Tuesday night begins a new chapter in that troubling novel. Sidney Crosby is out indefinitely after getting his jaw broken against the Islanders – it`s a good thing for Evgeni Malkin and the newly acquired studs Jarome Iginla and Brenden Morrow!
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Buffalo Sabres (13-17-2-4) at Pittsburgh Penguins (28-8-0-0)
When: 7:30 PM ET, Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Broadcast: TSN2, RDS2, NBCSN, ROOT
Sabres vs. Pens Betting Lines from betonline.com
Buffalo Sabres +1½ -160 +195 Ov 5½ +117
Pittsburgh Penguins -1½ +140 -215 Un 5½ -129
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Crosby-less Penguins Host Punch-less Sabres Tuesday Night
The Buffalo Sabres, losers of four straight game will be the latest team to try to stop Pittsburgh`s incredible win streak that now sits at 15 when they invade Consol Energy center Tuesday night.
Perhaps the biggest question a for the Buffalo Sabres ahead of their Tuesday night game is which players on the roster may be playing their last game in a Sabres uniform. Jason Pominville and Ryan Miller could be dealt between now and Wednesday – Jordan Leopold has already been dealt.
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Either way, Buffalo continues to disappoint floundering in 13th place in the East.
Offensively they are averaging just 2.50 goals per game – Marcus Foligno has three points in four games, Christian Erhoff has five points in six games and Tyler Myers and Andrej Sekera each have two points in three games. Thomas Vanek, the team leader in goals and points has been out for three games and could miss Tuesday’s game however which leaves a huge hole up front for Buffalo.
Defensively, the Sabres have been poor allowing 3.03 goals per game. Ryan Miller has been OK in spite of his team’s issues defensively. He is just 11-15-5 this year with a 2.89 GAA and .911 save % age – not awful by any means. If Miller plays he will have his hands full with a Pittsburgh offense that has averaged 3.36 goals per game this year
The Pittsburgh Penguins keep taking hits but have emerged through it all and have become the best team in the NHL. Injuries are the only thing that could seemingly slow this team down – along with Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang and Paul Martin are unlikely to play Tuesday night.[ad-4437448]
But this team thrived this season despite having Evgeni Malkin missing 13 games. Chris Kunitz has 40 points in 29 games, Pascal Dupuis has 14 points in 13 games and James Neal has two points in two games. Don’t feel too sorry for the Penguins’ injuries – there is plenty of talent to fill the void!
What is seemingly lost during the Pens’ 15 game win streak is their defensive play. They are among the leaders in the NHL in goals against allowing 2.33 goals per game. They haven’t allowed a goal in 3 plus games and they have allowed just nine goals in their last 11 games – amazing.
It doesn’t matter who starts in goal – Tomas Vokoun and Marc-Andre Fleury have been lights out – hands down the best duo in the NHL today.
Betting Prediction
A few trends to consider:
• BUF are 2-7 in their last 9 road games.
• Under is 8-0 in PIT last 8 home games.
• Under is 9-1-1 in PIT last 11 overall.
• PIT are 16-5 in their last 21 vs. Northeast.
• BUF are 17-35-4 in the last 56 meetings.
The Penguins have won 11 of 14 overall and five of six at home in this series. The Sabres lost 8-3 in their last visit to Pittsburgh on Dec. 17, 2011, as Malkin had three goals and two assists. The new acquisitions should allow the Pens to keep the role going.
The Sabres aren’t that great a team and with a few of them wondering if Tuesday will mark their last game as a Sabres, the Penguins should be able to extend their streak to 16 straight wins – one off the all-time record. The payday won’t be great but it is a payday nonetheless!
Pick: Pittsburgh Penguins -215
