Montreal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/08/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Friday, May 8, 2026

Venue:  KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY

Where to Watch:  TNT, HBO Max

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +114, Sabres -135; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +115, Sabres -135; Over/Under:  6 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Canadiens +115, Sabres -135; Over/Under:  6 goals

Montreal Canadiens:  48-24-10 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

Buffalo Sabres:  50-23-9 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

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Montreal Canadiens:  5-3-2 last 10

Buffalo Sabres:  7-1-2 last 10

The Canadiens are entering the playoffs with 106 points, a 48-24-10 record overall, and they were 24-9-8 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Buffalo Sabres in their last game, losing that one on the road 4-2. Kirby Dach and Nick Suzuki each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Ivan Demidov, Juraj Slafkovský, and Zachary Bolduc each led the team in assists with 1 while Juraj Slafkovský, Alex Newhook, and Lane Hutson each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Jakub Dobeš was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 4 goals on 16 shots with 12 saves and a .750 save percentage. Their offense has scored 283 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 256 goals against them allowing 3.1 goals per game.

The Sabres are entering the playoffs with 109 points, a 50-23-9 record overall, and they were 26-10-5 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Montreal Canadiens in their last game, winning that one at home 4-2. Josh Doan, Ryan McLeod, Bowen Byram, and Jordan Greenway each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Zach Benson led the team in assists with 2 while Rasmus Dahlin led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Alex Lyon was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 28 shots with 26 saves and a .929 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 288 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 241 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Sabres listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Sabres have looked great in their games this season with their 50-23-9 record overall which had them right at the top of their division in the East with one of the best records in the entire NHL. They have looked great on home ice too with their 26-10-5 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have looked good in their games this season with their 48-24-10 record overall which had them in the top half of their division in the East. They have also been a great road team with their 24-9-8 road record this year. This is game 2 of a 7-game series between the 1st seeded Sabres and the 3rd seeded Canadiens from the Atlantic Division for the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs. The Sabres are entering this game with a 1-0 series lead after winning game 1 of this series by a score of 4-2. The Sabres were up right away in game 1 and they never really looked back, leading the entire game and being the better team from start to finish. The Canadiens looked really good in the 1st round and took down the Lightning in 7 games with a lot of their wins coming on the road, but they also played a longer and more physical series with the Lightning and that is starting to take a toll on them. The Sabres didn't look great in their home games against the Bruins in the 1st round, but they looked a lot better in game 1 of this series and have definitely gotten over their playoff jitters. Now the Sabres are rolling and they have been one of the best home teams in the NHL all season, so look for them to take advantage of a tired Canadiens team that just doesn't have the same firepower. The best way to place a bet here is on the Sabres to win this game. 

Canadiens Sabres Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Friday, May 8, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Sabres 5 Canadiens 2.

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Montreal Canadiens: 122-136 (+8.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 39-38 (+18 units) on the moneyline as a road underdog of +100 to +200. 29-33 (+15 units) on the moneyline when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%). 24-16 OVER as a road underdog of +100 to +150.

Buffalo Sabres: 42-31 (-3.5 units) on the moneyline as a home favorite. 61-63 (-2.7 units) on the moneyline after playing a home game. 39-22 OVER as a home favorite of -200 or less. 22-15 OVER against poor offensive teams - averaging 26.5 shots on goal per game or less.

Montreal Canadiens:  P. Laine (RW) Out - Abdomen.

Buffalo Sabres:  R. Dahlin (D) Day To Day - Undisclosed. N. Ostlund (C) Out - Lower Body. S. Carrick (C) Day To Day - Arm. J. Kulich (C) Out For Season - Ear. J. Danforth (RW) Out For Season - Kneecap.

“Buffalo has a really good rush game. You really have to manage the puck through the neutral zone, which I thought for the most part we did. But I feel like you have to manage the puck in the O-zone too. A lot of 50-50 battles, you’ve got to be on the right side of it … so we have to do better there. I felt our top guys got more touches in space and stuff. And that's what I liked. And I liked that we battled. It wasn't the start that we wanted in the game, in the series. But we're going to keep going.” - Martin St Louis after his team’s loss against the Sabres in the 1st game of this series on Wednesday. 

“He really relishes the opportunity to be playing for something big. To win a playoff series, getting another playoff series and a possible win on a second series. He's trying to make every play count. He's been there before, and he's got that taste, and you can see the hunger he has.” - Lindy Ruff after his team’s win against the Canadiens in game 1 of this series on Wednesday. 

LW Cole Caufield

C Nick Suzuki

RW Juraj Slafkovský

LD Mike Matheson

RD Alexandre Carrier

G Jakub Dobes

LW Peyton Krebs

C Tage Thompson

RW Alex Tuch

LD Rasmus Dahlin

RD Mattias Samuelsson

G Alex Lyon

Points: Nick Suzuki (101)

Goals: Cole Caufield (51)

Assists: Nick Suzuki (72)

GAA: Jacob Fowler (2.43)

Points: Tage Thompson (81)

Goals: Tage Thompson (40)

Assists: Rasmus Dahlin (55)

GAA: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2.52)

Coaches:

Montreal Canadiens: Martin St. Louis (5th season)

Buffalo Sabres: Lindy Ruff (2nd season)