Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres Prediction, NHL Odds
After picking up three of a possible eight points during their recent four-game homestand, Montreal will travel to Buffalo before heading back home for a game against the Predators on Sunday.
Buffalo is trailing the Habs by just a single point for sixth place in the Atlantic Division after beating the number one-seeded Bruins in their most recent outing.
Puck drop from KeyBank Center in Buffalo is set for 7:00 PM EST. Keep updated on our Moneyline, Puckline and Over/Under for Saturday night’s matchup on our NHL odds.
Canadiens vs. Sabres NHL Betting Odds
The Habs visited Buffalo in October and rode behind Jake Allen’s 36-save performance to capture a 3-1 win. Both teams scored on the powerplay in that contest, Jeff Skinner scoring the lone goal for the Sabres, while Brendan Gallagher had a goal and an assist for Montreal. Saturday will be the second of four meetings this season.
These contests tend to be low-scoring with four of the past five games playing the UNDER. Montreal won each of the games that hit the UNDER, proving that keeping the Sabres offence quiet is very important.
Betting the UNDER has been the safe option for the Canadiens, as they have hit the OVER once in the past two weeks, a stretch of six games. The offence is clicking at just 2.7 goals per game (27th in NHL) and they are now 12-13-1 against the total this season. They did not cover in their most recent loss, after doing so in three of the previous four, putting them at 14-11 ATS this season.
The Sabres’ upset win over the Bruins Thursday night, snapped a four-game losing streak and brought their record to 11-14-2. They are struggling to get wins at home sitting at just 5-7 and will need to improve on it to get into the postseason. Buffalo has covered twice in their last three games and played the UNDER in the same games. Their 10-15-2 record on the OVER/UNDER is the most UNDER of any team in the division.
Montreal Canadiens
The Canadiens were shut out for the second time this season on Thursday night, both times at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings dominated from the opening draw, scoring twice in the first period and never looked back. They would score again in the second and one more in the third, outshooting the Canadiens 16-4 in the final frame, not allowing the home team to rally back. The final shots were a lopsided 42-24 in favour of LA and the Canadiens went 0-3 on the powerplay.
Samuel Montembeault got the start for the Canadiens, being the first Habs goalie to start in back-to-back games since Jake Allen did it back in October. This was the first time this season he was tested with over 40 shots and he played well turning away 38.
After Saturday’s visit to Buffalo, the Canadiens will return home for a three-game homestand, before an extended road trip.
Buffalo Sabres
Devon Levi played great in goal for the Sabres on Thursday Night in their 3-1 win over the Bruins. It was his first game since being recalled from the AHL.
Buffalo came out hot with 10 shots on goal in the opening six minutes but the game was scoreless after the first. JJ Peterka opened the scoring with his 11th less than two minutes into the second and Tage Thompson (7) added another to increase the lead before the Bruins would score their own before the end of the period. Victor Olofsson (4) sniped in the third and Levi would stay solid, stopping 31 of 32 shots for his fourth win of the season.
Many of the Sabres’ stars have missed time this season and Rasmus Dahlin was added to that list Thursday. He missed the game versus Boston after leaving the game on Tuesday, missing his first game of the season. He will be a game-time decision versus Montreal on Saturday.
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