Canadiens vs. Sabres Game 7: Prediction & Best Bets

Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres are set for Game 7 of their Eastern Conference semifinals playoff series at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Monday night.

Leading 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Saturday night, the Canadiens let a 3-2 lead slip at the end of the first period as the Sabres scored five unanswered goals to win 8-3.

In what has been a chaotic, entertaining series, the two teams will now clash in a winner-take-all Game 7 in Buffalo at 7.40 PM ET for the right to play Carolina in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Canadiens vs. Sabres betting picks and predictions

Canadiens ML (+100)

The atmosphere at KeyBank Center is sure to be on another level on Monday night, but the visiting Canadiens shouldn’t be too phased by the madness and they look to have the quality to edge this one.

The Sabres haven’t exactly played lights out in front of their home fans this postseason, winning just two of their six playoff games in Buffalo.

Their lone home win in this series came all the way back in Game 1, recording a 4-2 success, but they have since dropped Games 2 and 5 at the KeyBank Center by a combined score of 11-4.

Buffalo’s Alex Tuch and Peyton Krebs have yet to record a point in this series. The pair used to patrol the top line next to Tage Thompson, but now Tuch is on the second line while Krebs is patrolling a bottom-six role.

The Sabres lit up the scoreboard in Game 6, but if they want to keep their postseason hopes alive, getting offensive production from Tuch and Krebs is key. So far that just hasn’t been there, and it’s tough to expect it to all of a sudden appear in the final game of the series.

On the other side, Montreal’s top line of Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky continue to play at an elite level. All three have racked up four goals in the postseason, and their performance on the power play is more than trustworthy. 

Given Buffalo’s home woes and Montreal’s star power, the value in this matchup is with the Canadiens.

Under 5.5 (-120)

These teams have contested plenty of high-scoring games in this series, but that trend could change in this winner-take-all contest.

Generally speaking, these types of elimination matches tend to be more defense-focused and structured as opposed to high flying offensive slugfests.

Neither team wants to give the other an odd-man rush going the other way, so teams tend to be more conservative through the neutral zone and rely on their positioning to create pressure.

Montreal goaltender Jakub Dobes has seen his fair share of issues over the last two games in this series, but he has more than proven that he is a capable netminder in the pressure of the playoffs.

Furthermore, he has already shown that he can step up in a Game 7 matchup. In Montreal’s first round series against Tampa Bay, Dobes stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced in Game 7 to lead the Canadiens to a 2-1 victory. That should give him plenty of confidence heading into this meeting.

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is slated to be between the pipes for Buffalo, and he was the Sabres’ savior in Game 6.

Coming on in relief of Alex Lyon, who surrendered three goals on four shots to begin the game, Luukkonen turned aside all 18 shots he faced to aid Buffalo’s comeback. Look for him to ride that momentum into Game 7.

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Canadiens vs. Sabres odds

Canadiens	+100
Sabres	-120
Puck Line	MTL Canadiens +1.5
Total	O/U 5.5

Canadiens vs. Sabres player props

Anytime goalscorer

Tage Thompson (BUF Sabres)	+165
Cole Caufield (MTL Canadiens)	+180
Nick Suzuki (MTL Canadiens)	+235
Juraj Slafkovsky (MTL Canadiens)	+235
Alex Tuch (BUF Sabres)	+245
Ivan Demidov (MTL Canadiens)	+320

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.