Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres Game 2 Prediction, NHL Odds
The Sabres are -135 on the NHL playoff odds with a total of 5.5 goals – basically identical numbers to Game 1.
Canadiens vs. Sabres NHL Betting Odds
Buffalo held serve in Game 1 at home on Wednesday, and Game 1 winners are 535-252 in a best-of-7 series all-time. As we noted in the Game 1 preview, it’s the eighth playoff meeting all-time between the clubs, and the Game 1 winner has taken seven of the past series (only exception in 1990). Buffalo tires for a 2-0 series lead on Montreal for the fourth time and won the previous three when doing so. Teams with 2-0 lead in a best-of-7 own an all-time series record of 360-58.
The series line was essentially a pick’em entering Game 1, but now Buffalo is -230 and Montreal +190. I get it, but that’s an overreaction. That it goes seven games and six are both +210. A sweep is +600 after sitting +1300 entering the opener. The favoured exact score is Buffalo in five at +340 but I don’t agree with that at all. Still prefer Sabres in seven at +425. Montreal winning the next four is +1400.
When leading any playoff series overall 1-0, Buffalo is 15-11 in a best-of-7 and 9-3 when starting at home. It is 12-29 in Game 2s and 7-10 at home. Montreal is 17-33 in a series when trailing 1-0 and 9-23 when starting away. In Game 2s, the Habs are 82-44 and 24-23 away. They lost Game 2 in the last round in Tampa in overtime.
Montreal Canadiens
Projected Montreal to lose the opener in Buffalo by a score of 4-2, and that’s precisely what happened. That marked the eighth straight alternating win-loss result in these playoffs for the Canadiens, tying the 2020 Blue Jackets and 1982 Kings as the longest such run to open a postseason in league history. After just nine shots on goal in the Game 7 win in Tampa, the Habs outshot the Bruins 28-16 and dominated the faceoff circle with 62.7 per cent of wins. Nick Suzuki (second of playoffs) and Kirby Dach (third) had the two goals. Suzuki is just the second Montreal player in the past 25 years to record a five-game postseason-opening road point streak, following Scott Gomez’s six-game run in 2010. Jakub Dobes was not sharp in the opener but is 3-0 with a 1.65 GAA after a loss in these playoffs. It appears the Habs got out of Game 1 without any injuries.
Buffalo Sabres
Buffalo advanced past Boston in Round 1 despite an anemic power play. That all changed in the opening win over Montreal as the Sabres were 2-for-3 with the man advantage and never trailed. Bowen Byram scored one of those PP goals, his fourth overall goal of the playoffs to tie the franchise record for most in a postseason by a blueliner. Winger Zach Benson was the No. 1 star with two assists and on Friday looks to become the first Buffalo player with multiple points in three straight playoff games since the epically named Miroslav Satan in 2001. Alex Lyon stopped 26 shots and has a 1.30 GAA and .950 SV since replacing Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as the starter in Round 1. The opener was Buffalo’s first victory past Round 1 of the playoffs since the 2007 East Finals.
