Sabres vs. Canadiens NHL Odds, Prediction and Picks: Buffalo Seeks Revenge After Game 7 Heartbreak
The Buffalo Sabres visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, seeking retribution for last season’s second-round playoff matchup.
A thrilling seven-game playoff series between these two decided who went to the Conference Finals last season. 60 minutes was not enough to decide a winner in the series, and in overtime of Game 7 the Habs claimed a 3-2 victory.
Neither team has had the hot start they were looking forward to, with the Sabres at 3-3 and the Canadiens at 2-2-1, sitting fifth and seventh in the Division.
The NHL Odds have the Canadiens as the -155 favourites at home, with the OVER/UNDER set at 6.5 goals. The puck drops at 7:30 pm EST at the Bell Centre.
Spread (including overtime and shoot-outs)
Sabres vs. Canadiens NHL Betting Odds
A four-game season series, plus seven more meetings in the playoffs, means the Habs and Sabres met a total of 11 times last season. The season series was split 2-2, and three of those meetings featured a total of six goals, while the other had seven. In the regular season series, Nick Suzuki led the Canadiens in scoring with eight points, while Tage Thompson had seven for Buffalo.
The Sabres got back in the win column on Monday night, bringing them to 3-3 on the season. The win was their first time covering the spread this season. That game hit the OVER for the third time this season. Their offence has been struggling early this season, averaging just 2.67 goals per game.
The Canadiens have only covered the spread once this season, and it was way back in the season opener; they are now 1-4 ATS. In their five contests this season, they have hit the OVER three times, losing in each of the higher-scoring contests. Their 3.8 goals against per game is troubling, at sixth
Buffalo Sabres
The Sabres combined for just one goal in their two games coming into Monday’s matchup with the Florida Panthers. Buffalo got ahead early on Josh Doan’s first goal of the season. The game was back and forth the whole way through, but Buffalo never did trail in the contest. Tied 3-3 going into the third, they scored the only two goals in the period, taking a 5-3 win.
The Monday matinee was the Sabres best game of the season so far. It was their only win by more than a single goal; they outshot the opponent 32-23, and they were taking on the top team in the Atlantic Division, the Florida Panthers.
Colten Ellis started in goal for the Sabres in this one, but was yanked early in the second period after giving up two goals on nine shots. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen came in and got the win as he stopped 13 of 14 shots, giving a power-play goal. Expect UPL to get the nod again Tuesday in Montreal.
Montreal Canadiens
The Habs pulled out their first win on home ice this season over the weekend, taking down the Detroit Red Wings 1-0 in a shootout on Saturday night. The win broke up a three-game skid. Habs fans were pulling out their hair in this game after having a goal called back three different times, all for different reasons. Cole Caufield looked to score about a minute and a half into the game, but it was later deemed not to have crossed the line. Another goal was disallowed in the second period due to goalie interference, and the real vibe killer of the night was Alexandre Texier’s overtime winner getting overturned due to offside. Despite the setbacks, the Canadiens would score the lone goal in the sixth round of the shootout for the win.
In just his second start of the season, Montreal netminder Jacob Fowler was absolutely lights out, turning aside all 30 shots and all six in the shootout. With Jakub Dobes struggling out of the gate and Samuel Montembeault sidelined with injury, expect the Habs to ride the hot hand in net.
BUF
MON