Max Domi, Jonathan Drouin, and the Montreal Canadiens will face off against Jeff Skinner, Jack Eichel, and the Buffalo Sabres at the KeyBank Center in a divisional tilt. This one gets going at 4 p.m. ET on Friday, November 23 and it’s being shown live on Reseau Des Sports.
Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres Odds
With a moneyline of -135, Buffalo heads into the contest as the favorite. The line for the Canadiens now stands at +115, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-105 over, -115 under).
Netting 9.3 units for moneyline bettors, Buffalo is 14-8 straight up (SU) overall this year. That win percentage, ranked fourth in the NHL so far in this young season, is a refreshing turnaround from what the team did during the 2017-18 season (25-57). Among its 22 games this season, 12 have gone over the total, while nine have gone under and just one has pushed. Thus far, the team’s 7-3 SU at home.
The Sabres have converted on 18.1 percent of their power play chances this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated sixth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.5 percent of all penalties.
Averaging 27.4 saves per game with a .917 save percentage, Carter Hutton (10-7-1) has been the top goalkeeper for the Sabres this season. If Buffalo chooses to give him a rest, however, it could go with Linus Ullmark (5-1-1 record, .922 save percentage, 2.65 goals against average).
On the visitors’ side of the ice, Montreal is 11-11 straight up (SU) and has earned 1.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 22 regular season contests, 12 of its games have gone over the total, while nine have gone under the total and just one has pushed. As an away team , the Canadiens are 5-6 SU.
The Canadiens have converted on just 13.9 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that places them in the bottom- overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 19th overall and it’s successfully killed off 78.9 percent of all opponent power plays.
Carey Price (27.3 saves per game) has been the main option in the net for Montreal. Price owns a 7-9-4 record, while registering a .895 save percentage and 3.17 goals against average this year.
Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Sabres, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- Four of Montreal’s last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 0-4 in those games.
- The Canadiens are 4-4 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Sabres are 4-3 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than the opposition.
- Montreal is 2-0 in games decided by a shootout this season while Buffalo is 2-0 in shootouts.
- The total has gone under in three of Buffalo’s last five outings.
- Montreal has averaged 6.8 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 11.2 giveaways per game (ranked 24th in the league).
- Buffalo skaters have averaged 8.8 giveaways over its last five home games, its season average of 8.3 giveaways per game (the 11th-fewest in the league).
- Montreal skaters have given out the fifth-most hits in the league (25.6 per game), but the team’s recorded just 20.8 hits over their last five away games.
