Montreal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction 10/17/26 NHL Picks Today

The Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens meet Saturday in NHL action from the Bell Centre. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens prediction.

Buffalo Sabres Recap

The Buffalo Sabres come into this game looking to build on their 5-4 OT win over Toronto last time out to improve to 4-3-1 this season. After this game, the Sabres will head home for a game against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Sabres Alternate Wins & Losses In 4 Straight

Owen Power, Tage Thompson, and Jack Quinn lead the Buffalo Sabres through eight games this season with 8 points each, with Power contributing 2 goals and a team-high 6 assists, Thompson leading the squad with 4 goals alongside 4 assists, and Quinn adding 4 goals and 4 assists. Noah Ostlund and Mattias Samuelsson sit tied for second with 6 points apiece, with Ostlund potting 2 goals and 4 assists while Samuelsson records 2 goals and 4 assists. Zach Benson adds 5 points on 5 assists, while Rasmus Dahlin and Peyton Krebs each chip in 4 points. Olen Zellweger records 3 points with 2 goals and an assist, while Jiri Kulich, Josh Norris, Ryan McLeod, Zach Metsa, Beck Malenstyn, and Dennis Gilbert round out Buffalo’s primary scorers with 2 points each. In net for the Buffalo Sabres through eight games, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen holds a 3-2-1 record with a 3.52 GAA and an .854 save percentage after stopping 117 of 137 shots, while Colten Ellis posts a 1-1-0 mark with a 3.19 GAA and an .864 save percentage after stopping 51 of 59 shots.

Montreal Canadiens Recap

The Montreal Canadiens come into this game looking to bounce back from a 5-4 loss at the hands of the Washington Capitals last time out to sit at 3-3-1 this season. After this game, the Canadiens will take on the San Jose Sharks at home.

Canadiens Have Two-Game Win Streak Snapped

Nick Suzuki leads the Montreal Canadiens through seven games this season with a team-high 9 points, totaling 4 goals and 5 assists. Lane Hutson sits in second with 8 points on 2 goals and a team-leading 6 assists, while Josh Anderson records 6 points with 4 goals and 2 assists. Zack Bolduc chips in 5 points with 3 goals and 2 assists, while Chris Kreider, Cole Caufield, and Alex Newhook each add 4 points. Juraj Slafkovsky records 3 points with a goal and 2 assists, while Ivan Demidov, Alexandre Carrier, Alexandre Texier, and Noah Dobson round out Montreal’s primary contributors with 2 points each. In net, Jakub Dobes holds a 1-2-1 record with a 4.63 GAA and an .841 save percentage after stopping 95 of 113 shots, while Jacob Fowler posts a 2-1-0 mark with a 1.91 GAA and a .906 save percentage after stopping 58 of 64 shots for the Canadiens up to this point in the season.

Buffalo Sabres @ Montreal Canadiens Betting Trends: October 17, 2026

Why the Montreal Canadiens will win

• The Canadiens have won each of their last four home games when playing with a rest advantage.
• The Sabres have lost four of their last five games at Bell Centre when playing with a rest disadvantage.
• The Canadiens have covered the puck line in five of their last six home games following a road loss.
• The Sabres have failed to cover the puck line in six of their last eight games after coming off overtime.
• The Sabres have lost the second period in each of their last six games.

Why the Buffalo Sabres will win

• The underdogs have won four of the last five games between the Sabres and Canadiens.
• The Canadiens have lost 10 of their last 16 games as a favorite when playing with a rest advantage.
• The Sabres have covered the puck line in each of their last 14 games as underdogs following a road win.
• The Canadiens have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last eight games as a favorite when playing with a rest advantage.
• The Sabres have won the third period in each of their last seven road games when leading after the second period.

Total Goals Facts

• Eight of the Sabres’ last nine games following an overtime win have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Seven of the Canadiens’ last eight games as favorites following a road loss have gone OVER the total goals line.
• Each of the last five games between teams from the same division have gone OVER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Sabres’ last 12 games against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in 17 of the Canadiens’ last 18 games against Eastern Conference opponents.

Montreal Canadiens Player Prop Facts

• Cole Caufield has scored a goal in five of the Canadiens’ last six games as favorites against the Sabres.
• Lane Hutson has recorded at least one assist in each of the Canadiens’ last seven games against the Sabres.
• Zachary Bolduc ranks T1st in the league for shootout goals (2) this season.

Buffalo Sabres Player Prop Facts

• Rasmus Dahlin has scored a goal in each of his last three appearances against Atlantic Division opponents.
• Mattias Samuelsson has recorded at least one assist in each of the Sabres’ last four games against the Canadiens.
• Tage Thompson is the only player in the league to have recorded 6+ shots in three or more consecutive appearances this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Montreal Canadiens rank 27th in the league for goals against per game this season (3.86).
• The Montreal Canadiens rank 27th in the league in power play percentage this season (13.64%).
• The Buffalo Sabres rank 30th in the league in power play percentage this season (10.34%).
• The Buffalo Sabres rank 29th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (61.54%).

Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens Prediction

I’m on the over here. I think these are two teams that are loaded offensively and the goaltending has been a bit shaky early on so far this season, so I’m not all that convinced that this will change in this game. I think this has 4-3 OT written all over it, so give me the over in this one.