Sabres Fold in Pittsburgh as Penguins Roll 4-1, DarkHorse Puck Line Whiffs

Buffalo limped into PPG Paints Arena and promptly got run over, falling 4-1 to a Penguins squad that made the Sabres' supposed defensive edge look like a typo. DarkHorse's Sabres +1.5 pick crashed and burned—Pittsburgh covered the puck line comfortably, turning the "no clear goaltending gap" thesis into wishful thinking.

The logic was tidy on paper: Taylor Gauthier had zero track record, Colten Ellis was the known commodity at .903, and Buffalo's stingier goals-against last season suggested they wouldn't get blown out. Except Gauthier didn't need a résumé—he stonewalled the Sabres all night while Ellis and the Buffalo defense sprung leaks like a rusty tanker. Pittsburgh's offense, supposedly neck-and-neck with Buffalo's on paper, found another gear when it mattered, potting four and never looking back.

The Sabres managed one lonely tally, nowhere near enough to keep them within the number. League-wide puck-line data said favorites cover under 47 percent of the time, but Pittsburgh didn't get the memo. Sometimes the unknown goalie is unknown because he's about to announce himself, and sometimes the "serviceable" starter gets serviced. Buffalo got caught flat, DarkHorse got caught wrong, and the Penguins cashed tickets with room to spare.