Canadiens vs Sabres Prediction 5/16/26 NHL Picks Today

The Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens meet Saturday in NHL Game 6 at the Bell Centre. Here’s a Canadiens vs. Sabres Prediction. This article will include a Canadiens vs. Sabres Pick.

Buffalo Sabres Betting Preview

The Buffalo Sabres need a win to save their season and force a game 7 on Monday. The Sabres have lost 4 of their last 7 games.

The Buffalo Sabres are averaging 3 goals per game and are scoring 14.3 percent of their power play opportunities. Alex Tuch leads Buffalo with 4 goals, Tage Thompson has 7 assists, and Rasmus Dahlin has 38 shots on goal. Defensively, the Buffalo Sabres are allowing 3 goals per game and are killing 78.9 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has allowed 14 goals on 94 shots faced, and Alex Lyon has given up 17 goals on 205 shots.

Montreal Canadiens Betting Preview

The Montreal Canadiens look to make their first conference final since the 2020-21 season. The Canadiens have won 3 of their last 4 games.

The Montreal Canadiens are averaging 3.08 goals per game and are scoring on 22.9 percent of their power play opportunities. Alex Newhook leads Montreal with 6 goals, Lane Hutson has 10 assists and Juraj Slafkovsky has 34 shots on goal. Defensively, the Montreal Canadiens are allowing 2.33 goals per game and are killing 78.7 percent of their opponent’s power plays. Jakub Dobes has given up 28 goals on 327 shots faced.

Why the Montreal Canadiens will win

• The Canadiens have won each of their last six Saturday games against the Sabres.
• The Sabres have lost six of their last seven night games at the Bell Centre following a home loss.
• The Canadiens have covered the puck line in 11 of their last 13 games against Atlantic Division opponents.
• The Sabres have failed to cover the puck line in three of their last four games.
• The Canadiens have won the third period in each of their last five games as home favorites against Eastern Conference opponents when leading after the second period.

Why the Buffalo Sabres will win

• The Sabres have won six of their last seven games as underdogs following a loss.
• The Canadiens have lost three of their last four games as favorites.
• The Sabres have covered the puck line in 22 of their last 24 games as underdogs.
• The Canadiens have failed to cover the puck line in eight of their last nine games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The Sabres have won the third period in each of their last six road games when leading after the second period.

Total Goals Facts

• Five of the Canadiens’ last six home games against Atlantic Division opponents have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Four of the Sabres’ last five games as underdogs following a loss have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Sabres’ last six games.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1’ market has hit in seven of the last eight games between the Sabres and Canadiens.

Montreal Canadiens Player Prop Facts

• Cole Caufield has scored a goal in each of the Canadiens’ last four games as favorites against the Sabres.
• Lane Hutson has recorded at least one assist in each of the Canadiens’ last five games as home favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
• Cole Caufield ranks 1st in the league for Game Winning Goals (12) this season.

Buffalo Sabres Player Prop Facts

• Zach Benson has scored a goal in three of the Sabres’ last four road games.
• Josh Doan has recorded at least one assist in each of the Sabres’ last four road games.
• Tage Thompson has scored five goals against the Canadiens this season—most against any opponent.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Montreal Canadiens rank 7th in the league for goals per game this season (3.40).
• The Montreal Canadiens have recorded the equal-most wins when tied or trailing after Period 1 this season (31).
• The Buffalo Sabres rank 4th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (81.90%).
• The Buffalo Sabres rank 5th in the league for goals per game this season (3.45).

Canadiens vs Sabres Injury Report

The Sabres will be without Noah Ostlund, Jiri Kulich, and Justin Danforth.

The Habs will be without Patrik Laine.

Canadiens vs Sabres Prediction

The Sabres and the plus money are enticing a bit, but I’m looking at the over. We saw an offensive explosion in game 5 and the Habs overall have looked too comfortable in this series. Nine of the last 10 games between the Sabres and Canadiens have produced at least 6 goals. The first five games of this series are averaging 6.8 goals. Usually as you get to the business end of the series, the defense tightens up and gets more physical. Still, these teams are seeing the back of the net well. I’ll bank on offense. Give me the over.