Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Pick & Prediction OCTOBER 16th 2024

Preview and Prediction

Both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are on the brink of reaching significant career milestones as the Pittsburgh Penguins prepare to face the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.

Crosby, the captain of the Penguins, only needs one point to become the 10th player in NHL history to reach 1,600 regular-season points. Meanwhile, Malkin is just one goal away from joining the exclusive club of players with 500 tallies.

As expected, Crosby will downplay his achievement, but he has no problem praising his teammate.

"He recently reached 800 assists and 1,300 points...the next goal is also a big one," Crosby said. "He's had a great start to the season and has been consistently impressive for a long time. Those numbers are truly remarkable."

In Pittsburgh's 6-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, Malkin recorded one goal and two assists, marking his third consecutive multi-point game. He has accumulated seven points in just four games this season.

"For me, it's all about my teammates," Malkin said. "I've played with many players, most of whom have retired, but I'm still here. I always have fun playing with anyone. We have a great team here and it's great to have such talented players on our roster."

Interestingly, Crosby has yet to score a goal this season, but as long as the Penguins continue to win, no one will complain.

"Our effort is where it needs to be," coach Mike Sullivan said. "I think our intentions, for the most part, are in the right place...but there's always room for improvement."

The Sabres will begin a three-game road trip after securing their first win of the season with a 5-2 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, on Saturday.

Buffalo had only managed to score one goal in each of their first three games, but they finally found their offensive rhythm.

"We knew that if we stuck to our game plan, we would see results," forward Tage Thompson said. "Our mindset going into every game should be to focus on playing our best hockey, rather than worrying about the outcome. If we continue to play like this, we will be in a good position."

Before their win against Florida, the Sabres suffered a disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Kings, despite outshooting them 33-23. However, instead of panicking, the Sabres stuck to their game plan and were ultimately rewarded.

"We've been building our game," Jordan Greenway said. "Overall, we're happy with how we've been playing. Of course, there are areas we can improve on, but it was important for us to go through that experience. We're learning from it and becoming a stronger team because of it."

Buffalo will also receive a boost with the return of forward J.J. Peterka, who has been out with a concussion since the October 5th game against the New Jersey Devils in Prague. Peterka has been practicing with the top line alongside Thompson and Alex Tuch.

PREDICTION

Buffalo Sabres

3

4

Pittsburgh Penguins

Buffalo Sabres vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Recap MAY 8TH 2021