The Buffalo Sabres (16-19-4) battle with the Pittsburgh Penguins (19-14-4) in their third showdown this season on Saturday, January 6 at 7:00 PM ET at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Penguins are slightly favored to win with a moneyline at -165.

The Sabres have won two out of their last five games and need to find consistency. Their most recent battle was a 6-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

Casey Mittelstadt has been leading their offense, with 22 assists and 33 points so far this season. Jeff Skinner has scored the most goals with 16, ranking him 26^th in the league.

The Sabres are averaging 3.00 goals per game on 32.0 shot attempts. Their power play performances have not been ideal heading into this game, with 16 goals scored and 26 allowed. This has resulted in a power play percentage at just 14.2.

They are allowing opponents to average 3.39 goals per game and shoot 29.5 times. They also have a penalty kill percentage at 78.3.

The Penguins have won four out of three last five games, which bodes well for third chances at home in this one. Their most recent game was a 6-5 win over the Boston Bruins.

Jake Guentzel leads them with 25 assists and 43 points. As for scoring, Sidney Crosby leads them with 22 goals and ranks seventh in the league for his output.

The Penguins are averaging 3.08 goals a game and shooting 33.0 shots each game. They have scored 17 times in power plays but have allowed 20 in return. This has resulted in a power play percentage at 14.4, which is no better than what the Sabres have obtained.

They are giving up 2.73 goals a game and 30.5 shots to opposing teams. They also have a slightly stronger penalty kill percentage at 82.6.

MyBookie has the NHL betting odds for this matchup, with the Pittsburgh Penguins as -165 favorites to win. With the series tied 1-1, can the Penguins find success at home?

The Sabres won the last meeting with the Penguins to even the series, which was a 3-2 showing back in November. Prior to that, the Penguins won the first meeting with a 4-0 shutout in early November. This has not been consistent each game, but it could play out similar to one of those battles now that they have played twice.

A lot has happened since the last matchup for these two teams, with the Penguins arguably having better success. Based on their current success heading into this matchup, it makes sense to go with the Penguins. Look for them to find another quality win at the comfort of the home arena.