Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens Picks and Prediction for Saturday October 17, 2026
The Buffalo Sabres will travel to Montreal, Quebec, Saturday night to face the Montreal Canadiens in an Atlantic Division matchup at the Bell Centre. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 PM ET with television coverage available on NHL Network. Buffalo will look to continue developing consistency early in the season as the Sabres come into this game 4-3-1 on the year following an overtime win against Toronto last time out. Montreal will be back at home for this matchup 3-3-1 this year, having dropped 3 of the last 5 after a 1-goal loss to Washington last time out to end a 2-game winning streak. Buffalo enters Saturday as a +120 road dog. Montreal is a -142 favorite, and the total is 6.5. Stay in the loop with our NHL Picks.
Buffalo goes for 2 in a row
The Buffalo Sabres offense has averaged exactly three goals on 26.8 shots per game this season, though they have scored five goals in each of their last two wins. Defensively, Buffalo has had issues giving up 3.63 goals on 24.6 shots per game, and they've given up 3.5 goals per game in their last two victories. Tage Thompson is the offensive leader this season for Buffalo with eight points and four goals. Owen Power has also scored eight points this season, and he leads the team with six assists. Jack Quinn is the third player on the roster this year with eight points scored through eight games. Noah Ostlund and Mattias Samuelsson are both tied for second on the roster with six points each.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen did just enough in the net for Buffalo in their last outing, giving up four goals on 30 shots to post an .867 save percentage in just over 63 minutes. Jack Quinn was the offensive leader for Buffalo last time out with two goals and two assists. Mattias Samuelsson added to the Buffalo offense with one goal and one assist. Owen Power and Dennis Gilbert rounded off the Buffalo scoring with one goal each.
Key Injury Report for Buffalo:
- Josh Norris (Day-To-Day) - Oct 17
- Jiri Kulich (Day-To-Day) - Oct 17
- Alex Lyon (IR) - Oct 24
- Rasmus Dahlin (Out) - Oct 17
- Matt Grzelcyk (IR) - Oct 21
Montreal looks to defend their ice
The Montreal Canadiens offense is averaging three goals on 28.6 shots per game this season. Defensively is where Montreal’s had their biggest issues, giving up 3.86 goals on 25.9 shots per game, and they've allowed sixteen goals across their last three losses. Nick Suzuki leads the Montreal offense this season with 9 points and four goals. Lane Hutson is second on the roster with eight points, and he leads the team with six assists. Josh Anderson has chipped in six points, and Zach Bolduc is 4th on the team this season with five points scored.
Jakub Dobes struggled in the net for Montreal in their last outing, giving up five goals on 23 shots to post a .783 save percentage in just over 57 minutes on the ice. Josh Anderson led the way for the Montreal offense last time out with two goals on three shots in nearly 14 minutes. Lane Hutson chipped it as well with one goal and one assist. Nick Suzuki rounded out the scoring with one goal on three shots.
Key Injury Report for Montreal:
- Florian Xhekaj (Day-To-Day) - Oct 17
- Mike Matheson (Day-To-Day) - Oct 17
- Sam Montembault (OR) - Oct 20
- Oliver Kapanen (IR) - Oct 17
- Ivan Demidov (IR) - Oct 31
Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens Picks and Prediction
Pick: Montreal Canadiens -142
Montreal should be able to take advantage of Buffalo's defensive inconsistencies and create enough scoring opportunities to secure a home victory. The Canadiens have several dangerous offensive players, including Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky, who can make opponents pay for turnovers and defensive breakdowns. Buffalo has enough offensive talent to make this competitive, particularly with Tage Thompson capable of creating scoring chances from nearly anywhere in the offensive zone. However, the Sabres will need to do a better job of protecting the middle of the ice and preventing Montreal from generating opportunities around the net. The Canadiens have the speed to challenge Buffalo's defense and should create favorable matchups throughout the evening. Montreal gets the edge in front of its home crowd.
Pick: Over 6.5
Buffalo and Montreal have the offensive talent to turn Saturday's matchup into a high-scoring contest, especially if either team struggles to establish its defensive structure early. The Sabres can generate offense through Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin, if Dahlin is back in time from injury, while Montreal has several forwards capable of creating chances off the rush. Both teams could find opportunities in transition if turnovers become an issue through the neutral zone. Special teams could also have a significant impact, as both offenses have the personnel to capitalize on power-play opportunities. Buffalo will likely need multiple goals to keep pace with Montreal, and that could force the Sabres to take additional chances offensively. Expect both clubs to create enough opportunities to push the game toward the over.