Pittsburgh Penguins vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction, Preview and Odds - 02/05/2026

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

Venue:  KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Penguins +114, Sabres -135; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Penguins +115, Sabres -135; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Penguins +110, Sabres -130; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Pittsburgh Penguins:  28-15-12 (2nd place, Metropolitan Division)

Buffalo Sabres:  32-18-6 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

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Pittsburgh Penguins:  7-1-2 last 10

Buffalo Sabres:  6-2-2 last 10

The Penguins are entering this game with 68 points, a 28-15-12 record overall, and they are 15-7-5 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the New York Islanders in their last game, losing that one on the road 5-4 in overtime. Justin Brazeau, Anthony Mantha, Bryan Rust, and Egor Chinakhov each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Justin Brazeau, Brett Kulak, Erik Karlsson, Ilya Solovyov, Sidney Crosby, and Tommy Novak each led the team in assists with 1 while Justin Brazeau led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Stuart Skinner was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 23 shots with 18 saves and a .783 save percentage. Their offense has scored 187 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 167 goals against them allowing 3 goals per game.

The Sabres are entering this game with 70 points, a 32-18-6 record overall, and they are 17-7-3 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game, losing that one on the road 4-3 in OT. Mattias Samuelsson led the team in goals scored with 2 while Josh Doan scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jack Quinn, Rasmus Dahlin, Ryan McLeod, and Tage Thompson each led the team in assists with 1 while Rasmus Dahlin led the team in shots on net in that game with 7. Colten Ellis was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 35 shots with 31 saves and a .886 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 193 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 171 goals against them allowing 3.1 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Sabres listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Sabres have looked good in their games this season with their 32-18-6 record overall which has them in the top half of their division in the East. They have looked great on home ice too with their 17-7-3 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Penguins have looked good in their games this season with their 28-15-12 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 15-7-5 road record this year. The Penguins have been rolling in their games lately as they are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games, but they are off an OT loss to the Islanders in their last one and they have lost 2 games in a row now. They are starting to cool off a bit with those 2 losses and that is going to be a big issue in this game against another red hot team. The Sabres have shown a lot of improvement this season as they look like a team that is going to make the playoffs for the first time in years. They have been rolling in their games lately too, going 6-2-2 in their last 10. They are off an OT road loss to the Lightning in their last one, but the Lightning are the best team in the East at the moment so that isn't a bad loss at all. They were very close to pulling off a big upset win on the road too, so they will be looking to bounce back big now that they are back at home. The Sabres still got a point from that loss to so they are coming into this one with some momentum on their side and should be able to take advantage of a Penguins team starting to cool off now. The best way to place a bet here is on the Sabres to win this game. 

Penguins Sabres Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, February 5, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Sabres 3 Penguins 2.

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Pittsburgh Penguins: 100-119 (-21.7 units) on the moneyline in all games. 43-65 (-7.7 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +200. 49-73 (-20.6 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 8-5 OVER when playing their 3rd game in 4 days.

Buffalo Sabres: 61-47 (+12.2 units) on the moneyline in home games. 35-28 (+11.3 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss vs opponent as a road favorite. 31-28 (+9.7 units) on the moneyline when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 35-26 OVER revenging a loss vs opponent as a road favorite.

Pittsburgh Penguins:  K. Letang (D) Out - Foot. J. St. Ivany (D) Out - Hand. F. Hallander (C) Out - Leg.

Buffalo Sabres:  Z. Benson (LW) Day To Day - Upper Body. J. Greenway (LW) Day To Day - Abdomen. J. Norris (C) Day To Day - Ribs. U. Luukkonen (G) Out - Lower Body. J. Danforth (RW) Out - Lower Body. J. Dunne (C) Out - Middle-body. C. Timmins (D) Out - Leg. J. Kulich (C) Out - Ear.

“There was more of the game that we want to play, but we're at the point of the season where, like, we need that other point, especially against these guys, right? Where things are in the standings. So, you walk away disappointed. Just at the end, it wasn't quite enough.” - Dan Muse after his team’s loss against the Islanders in their game on Tuesday.

"Heck of an effort. You could see that back-to-back, we didn't quite have the energy, but we found sound energy late. Big push in the third period and a great power-play goal. We had a couple of great opportunities. We had [Dahlin] and [Tage Thompson] walking it in overtime to win it for us, but you know, it didn't hit the mark." - Lindy Ruff after his team’s loss against the Lightning in their game on Tuesday.

LW Rickard Rakell

C Sidney Crosby

RW Bryan Rust

LD Parker Wotherspoon

RD Erik Karlsson

G Stuart Skinner

LW Peyton Krebs

C Tage Thompson

RW Alex Tuch

LD Mattias Samuelsson

RD Rasmus Dahlin

G Colten Ellis

Points: Sidney Crosby (59)

Goals: Sidney Crosby (27)

Assists: Sidney Crosby (32)

GAA: Tristan Jarry (2.66)

Points: Tage Thompson (58)

Goals: Tage Thompson (29)

Assists: Rasmus Dahlin (36)

GAA: Alex Lyon (2.66)

Coaches:

Pittsburgh Penguins: Dan Muse (1st season)

Buffalo Sabres: Lindy Ruff (2nd season)