Pittsburgh Penguins: Lessons Learned vs. Buffalo

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres have not met since an opening night contest on Oct. 3, 2019, in which the Sabres earned a 3-1 victory.

The last time the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres met expectations were high for Buffalo, who were expected to challenge for a playoff spot. While the team may be on the outside looking in, they have proven to at times to be a threat for teams looking for an easy “w.”

While we wait to see the outcome of Saturday’s tilt, here’s a look at a few things you may find interesting from the illustrious histories of the clubs.

Full Disclosure

Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020. will the mark the 192nd time the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres have suited up against each other since 1971.

The Penguins presently hold the season series advantage, with a cumulative record of 89-63-5-35 through 192 games.

Scoring Leaders

Sidney Crosby leads the rookery of scoring against the Sabres. Crosby has scored 20 goals and 62 points in 42 games. His most explosive effort was a 5 point game on Nov. 8, 2014, which helped the Penguins capture a 6-1 victory.

Evgeni Malkin takes the second spot with 16 goals and 51 points in 40 games. His second best effort was a 1 goal, 4 point performance in a 5-2 victory on Nov. 15, 2008.

Kris Letang – 4 goals and 18 points, Patric Hornqvist – 10 goals and 20 points and Jake Guentzel – 4 goals and 6 points round out the top five scorers vs. Buffalo.

Between the Pipes

Tristan Jarry currently leads Penguins goaltenders with a record of 2-0-0 with one shutout, and a goals-against-average 0.50. Casey DeSmith is 1-0-1 with one shutout and a goals-against-average of 2.49. Matt Murray is 3-1-1 through six games, with a goals-against-average of 3.49.

Too Many Goals

The Penguins have been on the receiving end of some serious thrashing from the Sabres over the years. Buffalo reached double digit goals on two occasions, a 10-2 victory on Mar. 4 1983 and a 10-1 win on Dec. 7, 1980. They also scored nine goals on two occasions, a 9-1 win on Mar. 5, 1980, and a 9-0 victory on Feb. 7, 1980.

Pittsburgh came close to registering double digit goals twice, with an 8-3 victory on Oct.13, 1987, and most recently an 8-3 win on Dec. 17, 2011, where Malkin scored 3 goals and 5 points (which was his best performance vs. Buffalo)

The game also featured a 2 point performance from Alexandre Picard, who appeared in 17 games and scored 4 total points with Pittsburgh during the 2010-11 season.

Enemy Lines

Here’s a few players that crossed enemy lines during the course of their careers:

Patrick Lalime, Peter Skudra, Stu Barnes, Christian Ehroff, Jason Woolley, Brian Spencer, Dave McLlwain.

What were some of your favourite moments from games vs. the Sabres? Share them below.