NHL Playoff Preview: Canadiens vs Sabres

Two of the NHL's youngest and most exciting playoff teams will collide in Round 2, as the Montreal Canadiens and slight betting favourite Buffalo Sabres get set for battle. 

The youthful Habs outlasted a veteran-laden Tampa Bay Lightning team in Round 1 and proved some postseason grit along the way, surviving a tight Game 7 despite ending the game with single-digit shots. 

The Sabres, meanwhile, have spent most of the year as one of the hottest teams in hockey and carried it into a six-game triumph over the Boston Bruins. Now, the two upstart teams will square off for a likely date with Stanley Cup favourites the Carolina Hurricanes. 

Montreal Canadiens 

The Canadiens’ rise with a youthful core continued in the regular season, as they hung around in a tightly packed Atlantic Division race. Though they would ultimately finish third, behind the Sabres and Lightning, the first round provided a perfect test against a Tampa team steeped in playoff experience. 

The Habs passed that test, overcoming a loss in a potential closeout at home in Game 6 to win Game 7 on the road – their first series win in five years.  

Should they pass the next test, and continue their postseason, they’ll need a resurgence from an offense going missing. Game 6 saw Montreal finish scoreless in an overtime loss, while the decider saw it send just nine shots on the goal. Against a dynamic Sabres team, more must come from 50-goal-scorer Cole Caufield, in particular, after just a single goal across seven games.   

Buffalo Sabres 

The best story in the NHL this season continued into the playoffs, with the Sabres cruising past the Bruins after they snapped a 14-year playoff drought. That six-game win over Boston was more of the same from the 82-game Sabres, as they averaged just over 3.0 goals per game after finishing fifth in the league with 3.5 goals per game during the regular season. 

With such small margins between these teams, and Buffalo's free-flowing style, the Habs are going to need more heroics from goalie Jakub Dobes to keep pace with Buffalo. While even then, they'll need a little more juice offensively than in Round 1, it should set up a series that nears the Avalanche-Wild in terms of drama and excitement.        

NHL Betting Series Odds  

Series odds at BET99 - Canadiens (-105) / Sabres (-115) 

Series handicap at BET99 - Canadiens +1.5 (-220) / Sabres -1.5 (+175) 

Series total games at BET99 - Over 6.5 (+170) / Under 6.5 (-215) 

Ready to bet on the NHL playoffs? Click here to see all NHL playoff odds at BET99. 

Odds as of May 5, 2026.