Montreal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/18/2026

Game Time: 7:30 pm ET, Monday, May 18, 2026

Venue:  KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Canadiens -108, Sabres -112; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Canadiens -105, Sabres -115; Over/Under:  5.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Canadiens -105, Sabres -115; Over/Under:  5.5 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:  5-4-1 last 10

Buffalo Sabres:  6-3-1 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 at home 8-3. Jake Evans, Arber Xhekaj, and Ivan Demidov each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jake Evans, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, and Mike Matheson each led the team in assists with 1 while Ivan Demidov led the team in shots on net in that game with 5. Jakub Dobeš was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 6 goals on 33 shots with 27 saves and a .818 save percentage before getting replaced by Jacob Fowler who allowed 1 goal on 2 shots. 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 on the road 8-3. Jack Quinn led the team in goals scored with 2 while Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, Jason Zucker, Zach Benson, Konsta Helenius, and Zach Metsa each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Rasmus Dahlin led the team in assists with 4 while Tage Thompson and Zach Benson each led the team in shots on net in that game with 6. Alex Lyon was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 4 shots with 1 save and a .250 sv percentage before getting replaced by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen who stopped all 18 shots he faced. 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 slight 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 7 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. This series is all evened up 3-3 after the Sabres won game 6 by a score of 8-3. This series has been really back and forth, but the Sabres were starting to look dead in the water. They were giving up a ton of goals in the last few games and even blew a lead at home in game 5 before getting crushed 6-3 in the end. All of the momentum in this series was with the Canadiens going back home with a chance to end it, but the Sabres dug in deep in game 6 and were able to overcome a 3-1 deficit. They blew the Canadiens out 8-3 with an offensive explosion and now they have all of the momentum back on their side coming back home for this final game. The Sabres haven't been at their best at home in the playoffs, but they have been one of the best home teams in the NHL all season and they are due to string together 2 wins in a row here with the momentum back on their side. This is going to be a tight game 7 either way, but the Sabres should be able to edge the Canadiens out at home. The best way to place a bet here is on the Sabres to win this game. 

Canadiens Sabres Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Monday, May 18, 2026 (7:30 pm ET start time) is Sabres 4 Canadiens 3.

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Montreal Canadiens: 20-20 (-5.4 units) on the moneyline when the money line is -100 to -150. 36-53 (-16.2 units) on the moneyline revenging a same season loss vs opponent. 11-17 (-5.7 units) on the moneyline after allowing 6 goals or more. 11-2 OVER in a road game where the total is 5.5.

Buffalo Sabres: 132-126 (+13.3 units) on the moneyline in all games. 41-38 (+7.1 units) on the moneyline when playing against a marginal winning team (Win Pct. 51% to 60%). 79-81 (+12.4 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 30-15 OVER at home when the money line is -100 to -150.

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

Buffalo Sabres:  N. Ostlund (C) Out - Lower Body. J. Kulich (C) Out For Season - Ear. J. Danforth (RW) Out For Season - Kneecap.

“We did not play a good game. We had a few little moments, but not many. They’re a good team. They played a good game.” - Martin St Louis after his team’s loss against the Sabres in the 6th game of this series on Saturday. 

“I’m very proud of our guys. We talked this morning about everybody needs to play their best game. That the regular season doesn’t mean anything, and the Boston series doesn’t mean anything, and the five games to this point really don’t mean anything. Our defining moment is this game tonight, and we have to play our best game.” - Lindy Ruff after his team’s win against the Canadiens in game 6 of this series on Saturday. 

LW Cole Caufield

C Nick Suzuki

RW Juraj Slafkovský

LD Mike Matheson

RD Alexandre Carrier

G Jakub Dobes

LW Zach Benson

C Joshua Norris

RW Tage Thompson

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)