Game 7: Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres
Start time: 7:30 PM EDT / 4:30 PM PDT
Streaming: Prime Monday Night Hockey
There were major concerns about the Buffalo Sabres when they started their season 0-3. They had scored a total of two goals in that span, and it was hard to not project that out to another dismal season given their 14-year playoff drought. But they’ve managed to get things back on the rails with their play since: an 8-4 win against the Ottawa Senators and a 3-0 shutout of the decimated Florida Panthers. It was important for them to get the season turned around quickly not just to avoid falling behind in the playoff chase, but because they begin with 10 of their first 14 games played on home ice.
Tonight’s game at the Bell Centre will be Buffalo’s second road contest before returning home for two more. There has been no concern about Montreal’s play in its own arena; Saturday’s loss to the New York Rangers was the first time the Canadiens failed to claim at least a point in a regular-season game since last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Special teams allowed the Rangers to work back into the previous game and break Montreal’s run at home, and the Sabres have been strong in those situations as well. Ten of Buffalo’s 13 goals have come on the power play. While it was a suggestion for the Canadiens to stay out of the box versus New York, it will be imperative to do so in this game. The Sabres have been even more impressive on the penalty kill, allowing just one goal while down a player, and making up for that with a short-handed marker.
Tale of the Tape
| Canadiens | Statistics | Sabres |
|---|---|---|
| 4-2-0 | Record | 2-3-0 |
| 50.2% (13th) | Expected-goal share | 47.1% (25th) |
| 3.50 (T-7th) | Goals per game | 2.60 (T-25th) |
| 3.00 (T-16th) | Goals against per game | 2.80 (T-11th) |
| 18.2% (T-17th) | PP% | 27.8% (T-6th) |
| 72.2% (T-24th) | PK% | 95.7% (1st) |
| 4-0-0 | Head-to-Head Record (24-25) | 0-3-1 |
| Cole Caufield (5) | Most goals | Jason Zucker (3) |
| Nick Suzuki (7) | Most assists | Zach Benson (5) |
| Cole Caufield (8) | Most points | Josh Doan (5) |
Montreal won all four games of the season series last year, and you can be sure the Sabres will be using that as motivation to keep their recent play going. It will be difficult for them to put an end to their run without a playoff berth if they drop games to Atlantic Division rivals, even in the early part of the season. Buffalo was 10-13-3 in the intradivisional games in 2024-25, while Montreal excelled versus clubs in its own division with an 18-7-1 mark.
The Sabres may have experienced more offensive success in the past couple of games, but the goals are coming from sources other than the main stars. Middle-six wingers Jason Zucker and Josh Doan have been the ones putting the puck in the net. Tage Thompson has just one goal, while defencemen Bowen Byram and Owen Power, who combined for 78 points last year, have three so far. You have to expect that the team starting to play better will bring out more from those players, and Thompson in particular has been a streaky scorer in his career who can string multi-goal performances together during a season. The Canadiens held him to two points in 2024-25, but he’s a point-per-game player in his career versus Montreal.
It was expected to be a low-scoring game on Saturday when the stingy, low-scoring Rangers came to town on the weekend, and that ended up being a 4-3 contest. Considering there were 32 goals scored between the Canadiens and Sabres last year, it might be another offensive night in Montreal.
Patrik Bexell was joined by Prime Monday Night Hockey analyst Jody Shelley to discuss the matchup.
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