Game 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs' second round between the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres is coming up on Saturday, with the action hitting the ice at Centre Bell at 8 pm ET.
Game five of the series marked a momentous 6-3 win for the Canadiens on the road after dropping a 2-1 lead at home in Game four last Tuesday. Six different goal scorers made their mark, as Montreal is now on the verge of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals.
After this game, the Canadiens will have the highest number of games played (13) in the NHL Playoffs after exchanging wins for seven games with Tampa Bay in the first round.
They are following the same win trend against Buffalo, winning most of their games on the road, with only two home victories out of the 12 games they have played so far. The Canadiens are holding a 3-2 series lead heading back to the Bell Center, which could be monumental as they clearly have their sights set on their first Conference Finals since 2021.
The Sabres overcame the Bruins in Round One in just six games, but have found difficulty putting the puck past Canadiens’ goaltender Jakob Dobes, tied for the highest number of saves (299) out of the remaining teams, behind only Vegas Golden Knights’ Carter Hart. Buffalo is being outscored in this series 21-13 so far.
Buffalo has only lost one road game in this postseason, though, with 18 goals to show in five away games. However, no player on the team has bagged more than one goal in a game this series and the big guns need to come to the fore with survival in the NHL Playoffs on the line.
Sabres vs. Canadiens betting picks and predictions
Montreal Canadiens -1.5 (+160)
Montreal broke the trend of alternating wins with opponents every other game with two in a row in Games 2 and 3. The Canadiens may have had trouble covering the -1.5 spread against Tampa Bay, but they have done so in all three of their victories this series against the Sabres, with room to spare.
The Sabres have only covered a +1.5 spread twice in this series, only doing so once out of two road games, with the Canadiens' victories all coming with a three-goal margin or greater.
The Canadiens have no excuse advantage-wise and should be ecstatic given the chance to progress to the finals in front of their home fans, as well as catch a break from a full-length series.
With three three-goal+ margin wins up to this point and a top-tier goaltender, they should be able to cover the -1.5 home puckline.
Under 6.5 (-120)
It’s a close call, but the majority of the games in this series have concluded with six goals or fewer.
For the Canadiens, only one game against the Lightning saw a total of seven goals, leading Montreal’s matchups to hit an under 6.5 nine times out of 12 games.
In the playoffs, the Sabres have only seen four of their 11 games reach seven goals or more, with the team's highest goal count in this series being four (at home).
All things considered, it’s looking like the under 6.5 is in store for this one.
Alex Newhook to score any time (+290)
Montreal’s second line forward Alex Newhook has turned up for this series to lead his team in postseason goalscoring, and particularly in this series as five of his six total playoff goals have been scored against the Sabres.
With the in-form Newfoundlander taking the ice once again at home with five goals in his last four games, two of which saw him score braces, he looks set to be the game changer once again with at least one goal to his name.
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Sabres vs. Canadiens odds
Sabres | +135 |
Canadiens | -160 |
Puck Line | MTL Canadiens -1.5 |
Total | O/U 6.5 |
Sabres vs. Canadiens player props
Anytime goalscorer
Cole Caufield (Canadiens) | +140 |
Tage Thompson (Sabres) | +170 |
Juraj Slafkovsky (Canadiens) | +175 |
Nicholas Suzuki (Canadiens) | +190 |
Alex Tuch (Sabres) | +200 |
Alex Newhook (Canadiens) | +290 |
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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.
