The Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres meet in NHL action from the KeyBank Center on Saturday night. It’s an Atlantic division rivalry matchup, who comes out with the win here? Let’s dive in and give out a Canadiens vs. Sabres Prediction.
Montreal Canadiens Team Preview
The Montreal Canadiens come into this one looking to rebound from a 4-0 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Kings in their last matchup. Nick Suzuki has a team-high 21 points with 7 goals and 14 assists while Cole Caufield has 20 points with 7 goals and 13 assists. Mike Matheson has 18 points with 13 assists of his own while Alex Newhook has 13 points with 6 goals and Sean Monahan has 15 points with 8 goals and 7 assists. Jake Allen is 3-5-2 with a .898 save percentage and 3.74 GAA while Sam Montembault is 6-4-1 with a 2.78 GAA and a .912 save percentage in goal for Montreal this season.
Montreal Canadiens Team Facts
- The underdogs have won each of the Canadiens’ last five games at KeyBank Center.
- The underdogs have covered the puck line in 11 of the Canadiens’ last 12 games at KeyBank Center.
- The underdogs have won the third period in each of the Canadiens’ last five games at KeyBank Center.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Canadiens’ last 10 games as underdogs against Atlantic Division opponents.
Buffalo Sabres Team Preview
The Buffalo Sabres come into this one looking to build on their 3-1 win over Boston last time out. Casey Mittelstadt leads the Sabres in scoring with 22 points including a team-high 16 assists while Rasmus Dahlin has 21 points with 15 assists. Jeff Skinner has 20 points with a team-high 11 goals and JJ Peterka has 20 points with 11 goals of his own while Alex Tuch has 17 points with 8 goals and 9 assists. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has a 6-5-1 record with a 2.81 GAA and an .907 save percentage while Devon Levi is 4-4-1 with a 3.44 GAA and an .887 save percentage and Eric Comrie is 1-5 with a 4.01 GAA and an .863 save percentage this season in goal for the Sabres.
Buffalo Sabres Team Facts
- The Sabres have lost each of their last 10 night games following a road win.
- The Sabres have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last seven home games against Atlantic Division opponents.
- The underdogs have won the third period in each of the last five games between the Canadiens and Sabres at KeyBank Center.
- The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in eight of the Sabres’ last nine home games against Atlantic Division opponents.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Buffalo Sabres ranks 25th in the league for goals per game this season (2.85).
- The Buffalo Sabres ranks 25th in the league in power play percentage this season (15.19%).
- The Montreal Canadiens ranks 30th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (72.63%).
- The Montreal Canadiens ranks 28th in the league for goals against per game this season (3.50).
Canadiens vs. Sabres Prediction
I’m on Montreal here. I just think this line’s a bit of an overreaction to Buffalo’s win over Boston. The Sabres have still lost 4 of 5 and while Montreal is far from a world-beater, they have won 4 of the last 5 meetings in this matchup and have already gotten a win between these two in Buffalo earlier this season. I think the Sabres are in some trouble here. Give me Montreal and the plus money.
