Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens, Picks and Prediction, Monday, October 20, 2025

The Buffalo Sabres are on the road to play the Montreal Canadiens on Monday, October 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Buffalo (2-3) is coming off a 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers, while Montreal (4-2) is coming off a 4-3 home loss to the New York Rangers. Continue reading for our Sabres vs. Canadiens prediction.

Stay out of the penalty box by selecting our free NHL Picks.

Sabres Shut Out Panthers

Buffalo is coming off a 3-0 upset shutout win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday to extend their win streak to two after losing its first three games. That came after beating Ottawa 8-4 on Wednesday. The Sabres were led by Josh Doan who had two goals, while Owen Power had the other goal. Alex Tuch, Jason Zucker, Peyton Krebs, Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, and Zach Benson all had assists. Buffalo is tied for sixth in the NHL with a 27.8% success rate on the power play.

The Sabres are expected to start Alex Lyon who's coming off a 32-save shutout over the Panthers. Lyon is 2-3 with a 2.43 GAA and a .929 SV% this season. He's 4-2 with a 3.15 GAA and a .879 SV% in his career against the Canadiens.

Canadiens Fall Short to Rangers

Montreal is 4-2 and is coming off a 5-4 loss to the Rangers, which snapped the Canadiens' four-game winning streak. Montreal led 2-1 entering the third period but was outscored 3-1 in the final period to lose. The Canadiens were led by Juraj Slafkovsky, Noah Dobson, and Nick Suzuki, who all had a goal. The Habs have allowed 18 goals through six games to rank, which is 12th most in the NHL. They've also scored 21 goal to rank fourth in the league.

The Canadiens are expected to start Sam Montembeault who's 2-2 with a 3.26 GAA and a .857 SV% this season. At home this year, Montembeault is 1-1 with a 3.97 GAA and a .818 SV%. In his career against the Sabres, he's 5-5 with a 3.04 GAA and a .905 SV%.

Sabres vs. Canadiens Pick

Money line pick for Sabres vs. Canadiens

• Canadiens ML -148 (5 units)

Montreal is coming off a disappointing loss to the Rangers, and this is a good spot for the Canadiens to get the win and rebound nicely. The Sabres played Florida well, but their offense has still been an issue. Montreal should start strong as their offense is clicking, while at home, the Habs have played well. Montembeault should also be much better than he has been, while the Canadiens have the better offense to get the win.

Over/Under pick for Sabres vs. Canadiens

• Under 6.5 -130 (4 units)

The under is a good spot here as Lyon should continue his success, while Montembeault should be much better. Buffalo has struggled to score this season, as the Sabres are averaging just 2.6 goals per game. Montreal, meanwhile, is averaging 3.5 goals per game. Buffalo is 4-1 in hitting the under while Montreal is 3-3. Expect this game to be a 3-1, 2-1 type of win for Montreal.