PuckCast Edge
Betting edges, stake sizing, props priced against the line, fantasy tiers and the graded ledger. $14.99 a month in season, or $99 for the year.
2026-27 forecast · Fri, Nov 27, 8:00 PM ET
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen · 0.910 SV%
The preseason ratings make Buffalo Sabres 60.2% to win at home — a clear lean, worth 10.2 points over a coin flip, which grades B. Over a full season those same ratings project BUF for 104 points and PIT for 97.
A preseason forecast from each team's regressed rating and home ice, the ratings behind the projected standings. The full model read, with the starting goalies, rest and form, publishes within seven days of the game and replaces this page’s numbers. How the model works
at 5v5 last season the two were level on expected goals (50.7% to 50.9%); BUF's power play ran at 19.7% against a PIT kill at 81.9%.
In goal, neither team has named a starter. Last season Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) saved -1.3 goals above expected to Arturs Silovs's -23.2, on save percentages of 0.910 and 0.888.
None of that is the model read. This is a rating-and-home-ice forecast; the full prediction — confirmed goalies, rest and form, priced against the market — publishes inside the seven days before puck drop and replaces these numbers. Buffalo Sabres over Pittsburgh Penguins is where it starts, not where it ends.
No starter is named this far out. These are each side’s projected starters on the current roster, with last season’s numbers.
PIT
Arturs Silovs
39 games, 2025-26
BUF
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
35 games, 2025-26
| PIT | Metric | BUF |
|---|---|---|
| 50.9% | xGF% (5v5) | 50.7% |
| 51.1% | Shot share | 49.7% |
| 3.4 | Goals for / game | 3.4 |
| 3.1 | Goals against / game | 2.9 |
| 23.5% | Power play | 19.7% |
| 81.9% | Penalty kill | 81.0% |
| 48.1% | Faceoffs | 45.9% |
Pittsburgh Penguins
| Player | Pos | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 29 | 47 | 76 | |
| C | 21 | 39 | 59 | |
| D | 11 | 38 | 49 | |
| R | 21 | 26 | 47 |
Buffalo Sabres
| Player | Pos | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 35 | 33 | 68 |
| Date | Game | Pick | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-05 | BUF @ PIT | PIT | BUF 5–1 PIT | Missed |
| 2026-02-05 | PIT @ BUF | BUF | PIT 5–2 BUF | Missed |
| 2025-11-26 | BUF @ PIT | PIT | BUF 2–4 PIT | Correct |
| Team | Proj. points | Playoff odds |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Penguins | 97 | 50.9% |
| Buffalo Sabres | 104 | 67.2% |
Forecast method preseason-elo-v1; ratings as of 2026-08-19.
| D | 18 | 50 | 68 |
| C | 14 | 30 | 44 |
| R | 17 | 26 | 43 |