Buffalo Sabres vs Pittsburgh Penguins Prediction, Preview and Odds - 03/05/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, March 5, 2026

Venue:  PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Sabres -115, Penguins -105; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Sabres -115, Penguins -105; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Sabres -115, Penguins -105; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Buffalo Sabres:  36-19-6 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

Pittsburgh Penguins:  31-16-13 (2nd place, Metropolitan Division)

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Buffalo Sabres:  7-2-1 last 10

Pittsburgh Penguins:  6-2-2 last 10

The Sabres are entering this game with 78 points, a 36-19-6 record overall, and they are 18-11-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Vegas Golden Knights in their last game, winning that one at home 3-2. Jason Zucker, Owen Power, and Tage Thompson each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Rasmus Dahlin led the team in assists with 2 while Jack Quinn led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Alex Lyon was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 29 shots with 27 saves and a .931 save percentage. Their offense has scored 209 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 183 goals against them allowing 3 goals per game.

The Penguins are entering this game with 75 points, a 31-16-13 record overall, and they are 15-8-7 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Boston Bruins in their last game, losing that one on the road 2-1. Erik Karlsson scored 1 goal for them in that one. Bryan Rust led the team in assists with 1 while Erik Karlsson led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Stuart Skinner was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 28 shots with 26 saves and a .929 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 204 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 175 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Sabres listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Sabres have looked really good in their games this season with their 36-19-6 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the East. They have been a good road team too with their 18-11-3 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Penguins have looked really good in their games this season with their 31-16-13 record overall which has them right near the top of their division in the East. They have looked good on home ice too with their 15-8-7 home record this season. The Penguins have looked good in their games lately as they are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games, but they are off a loss to the Bruins in their last one. As good as they have looked this season, sitting near the top of their division too, they have still taken a lot of losses this year with those OT losses propping them up in the division. They are still missing their best player though and they are due to start cooling off now that they are off that loss. The Sabres have been one of the best teams in the East this season and lately they have been rolling. They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and they have a ton of momentum on their side with 4 wins in a row now. They are off a 3-2 win over the Golden Knights in their last one and they have been picking up some really good wins lately too. The Penguins may have the home advantage here, but the Sabres have been the much hotter team lately and they are going to continue rolling with the way they have been scoring goals lately too. The best way to place a bet here is on the Sabres to win this game. 

Sabres Penguins Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, March 5, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Sabres 4 Penguins 2.

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Buffalo Sabres: 111-114 (+7.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 40-36 (+11.3 units) on the moneyline revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 32-29 (+9.4 units) on the moneyline when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 11-4 OVER revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 

Pittsburgh Penguins: 103-121 (-20.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 51-74 (-19.3 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 60-64 (-12.1 units) on the moneyline against terrible defensive teams - allowing 3+ goals/game. 21-10 OVER at home when the money line is -100 to -150.

Buffalo Sabres:  J. Greenway (LW) Out - Abdomen. C. Timmins (D) Out - Leg. J. Danforth (RW) Out - Lower Body. J. Kulich (C) Out - Ear.

Pittsburgh Penguins:  B. Lizotte (C) Day To Day - Lower-Body. F. Hallander (C) Out - Leg. S. Crosby (C) Out - Leg. J. St. Ivany (D) Out - Hand.

“I think you can look at a lot of games where we've had to show a lot of resolve. There's been a lot of training on the job for us where bad things have happened. We've made bad plays and teams have got back into it, we've played in tight games, there's been a couple of games we've lost where we've been leading that you learn from.” - Lindy Ruff after his team’s win against the Golden Knights in their game on Tuesday.

“We have to be better than that, especially against a team like this. If you get behind early, they’re just going to sit back and clog things up even more, and that’s what you saw for a lot of the game. It wasn’t good enough.” - Dan Muse after his team’s loss against the Bruins in their game on Tuesday.

LW Peyton Krebs

C Tage Thompson

RW Alex Tuch

LD Mattias Samuelsson

RD Rasmus Dahlin

G Alex Lyon

LW Rickard Rakell

C Benjamin Kindel

RW Bryan Rust

LD Parker Wotherspoon

RD Erik Karlsson

G Stuart Skinner

Points: Tage Thompson (64)

Goals: Tage Thompson (33)

Assists: Rasmus Dahlin (41)

GAA: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2.62)

Points: Sidney Crosby (59)

Goals: Sidney Crosby (27)

Assists: Sidney Crosby (34)

GAA: Evgeni Malkin (2.66)

Coaches:

Buffalo Sabres: Lindy Ruff (2nd season)

Pittsburgh Penguins: Dan Muse (1st season)