Pittsburgh Penguins: Lessons Learned vs. Sabres
By Rob Joncas
The Buffalo Sabres served the Pittsburgh Penguins a piece of humble pie when the two teams last met on Feb. 22, 2020. The Penguins were handed a 5-2 loss in the second game of a 6 losing skid and will be looking to build off their 7-3 win over Ottawa on Tues.
While we wait to see the outcome of the Pittsburgh Penguins tilt versus (vs.) Buffalo, here’s a look at a few things you may find interesting from the illustrious histories of the clubs.
Full Disclosure
Thurs, Mar. 5, 2020. will the mark the 193rd 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 89-64-5-35 through 193 games.
Scoring Leaders
Sidney Crosby leads the rookery of scoring against the Sabres. Crosby has scored 20 goals and 62 points in 41 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 18 goals and 53 points in 41 games. His second best effort was a one goal, 4 point performance in a 5-2 victory on Nov. 15, 2008. (More on best game later)
Kris Letang – 4 goals and 18 points, Patric Hornqvist – 10 goals and 21 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 2-1-0 with one shutout, and a goals-against-average 2.00. 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.
Rough and Tough
Malkin is unmatched king of penalties vs. Sabres, as he has collected 42 penalty minuets in 41 games played.
Malkin received four minuets in penalties for slashing and roughing during Pittsburgh’s most recent game vs. Buffalo on Feb. 22. Malkin also reached the four minuet mark on two other occasions. Rough and cross checking calls on Dec. 8, 2008, and tripping and interference calls on Dec. 19, 2009.
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, Scott Wilson, Jocelyn Thibault, Eddie Shack, Miroslav Satan.
What were some of your favorite moments from games vs. the Sabres? Share them below.