Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres: NHL Odds, Prediction
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Charlie Grant
Not even the return of Carey Price seems to be enough to snap the Canadiens out of their recent funk. Jack Eichel and the goal-thirsty Buffalo Sabres are looking to pile onto the Habs’ misery on Friday night.
Canadiens vs. Sabres Betting Analysis
Montreal made a mess in its first game with starting goalie Carey Price back in nets. Sidney Crosby pulled out a highlight-reel goal and the Habs fell 5-3 for their ninth loss in their last 10 games. They are in 14th place in the Eastern Conference with a 26-48 straight up record and own the dishonourable distinction of being the worst bet in the NHL. A loyal Canadiens supporter would be down $2352 if he or she bet $100 on them in all their games this season. The over is 4-2 in Montreal’s last six contests but 32-40-2 overall. Here’s a small bit of good news for hockey fans in Quebec: The Habs are 3-0 against the Sabres this season.
Buffalo is coming off a 4-1 loss to Arizona on the NHL scoreboard and is 1-4 SU in its last five matchups. Lighting the lamp has been a problem for the East’s cellar-dwelling squad. The Sabres have scored one or fewer goals in five of their last night games.
Montreal Canadiens
It took 74 games but the Habs are now officially eliminated from the playoffs. It’ll be interesting to see if head coach Claude Julien can do anything to improve Montreal’s special teams. The Habs are last in the NHL in penalty kill percentage (74.7) and their power play ranks 25th in the league this month.
Price had an uneven performance in his first appearance since suffering a concussion in a February game against the Philadelphia Flyers. He had moments of brilliance in the second period but still let in a couple softies.
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo’s offence hasn’t taken off the way the club had hoped when Eichel returned from after a 15-game absence. Eichel has one point in three games back on the ice and the Sabres have been shutout in two of those contests.
Buffalo ranks last in the league in producing just 2.4 goals per game and its power play sits 24th overall, clicking at 26 percent.
