Pittsburgh hosts Buffalo following shootout win

Buffalo Sabres (10-15-4, fifth in the Atlantic) vs. Pittsburgh Penguins (15-8-5, second in the Metropolitan)

Pittsburgh; Friday, 7 p.m. EST

LINE: Penguins -298, Sabres +236; over/under is 5.5

BOTTOM LINE: The Pittsburgh Penguins host Buffalo after the Sabres took down Minnesota 3-2 in a shootout.

The Penguins are 9-6-1 against Eastern Conference opponents. Pittsburgh is third in the Eastern Conference with 35.0 shots per game and is averaging 3.0 goals.

The Sabres are 3-4-2 against opponents from the Atlantic. Buffalo averages only 2.9 penalties per game, the fewest in the NHL. Rasmus Dahlin leads the team averaging 0.3.

Buffalo beat Pittsburgh 2-1 in the last meeting between these teams on Nov. 16.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kris Letang leads the Penguins with 17 assists and has 18 points this season. Sidney Crosby has three goals and 12 assists over the last 10 games for Pittsburgh.

Tage Thompson leads the Sabres with 10 goals and has 18 points. Jeff Skinner has four goals over the last 10 games for Buffalo.

LAST 10 GAMES: Penguins: 7-2-1, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.6 assists, 2.4 penalties and five penalty minutes while giving up 1.5 goals per game with a .949 save percentage.

Sabres: 3-5-2, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.2 assists, two penalties and 4.9 penalty minutes while allowing 3.1 goals per game with a .907 save percentage.

INJURIES: Penguins: None listed.

Sabres: Dustin Tokarski: out (health protocols), Craig Anderson: out (upper body), Robert Hagg: out (lower-body).

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