Our Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. The Buffalo Sabres (3-3-0 this season; 50-23-9 in 2025-26) visit the Montreal Canadiens (2-2-1 this season; 48-24-10 in 2025-26) at Centre Bell in Montreal, Que. Puck drop is 6:30 PM ET (6:30 PM local). TV: MSG-B / TSN2 / RDS.
Storyline: Buffalo is on the second night of a back-to-back after a 5-3 win over Florida on Monday, Oct. 12. Montreal enters Tuesday at 2-2-1 after a 1-0 shootout win over Detroit (Oct. 10). The teams split four meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Montreal at -155 and Buffalo at +130 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Buffalo Sabres @ Montreal Canadiens |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Buffalo Sabres 3-3-0 | Montreal Canadiens 2-2-1 |
| 2025-26 Records | Buffalo Sabres 50-23-9 | Montreal Canadiens 48-24-10 |
| Head Coaches | BUF: Lindy Ruff (3rd season) | MTL: Martin St. Louis (6th season) |
| Puck Line | BUF +1.5 (-192) | MTL -1.5 (+160) |
| Moneyline | Buffalo Sabres: +130 | Montreal Canadiens: -155 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o-105 / u-115) |
| Venue | Centre Bell (Montreal, Que.) |
| Date / Time | Tuesday, October 13, 2026 — 6:30 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | MSG-B / TSN2 / RDS |
| Probable Starting Goalies | BUF: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed); Colten Ellis started Monday | MTL: Jakub Dobes (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, ~10:55 PM ET. Other books listed the same total at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. ESPN lists Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo) and Jakub Dobes (Montreal) as probable starters, not yet confirmed at research time.
Buffalo Sabres Preview: Second Night of a Back-to-Back
2025-26 recap: Buffalo went 50-23-9 (109 points), won the Atlantic Division, beat Boston in six games in the first round and lost to Montreal in seven games in the second round. Tage Thompson led the team with 81 points (40 goals, 41 assists), Rasmus Dahlin had 74 points, Alex Tuch scored 33 goals and Ryan McLeod had 54 points (NHL.com).
Offseason moves: Buffalo added defensemen Matt Grzelcyk and Louis Crevier from Chicago and Olen Zellweger from Anaheim. Tuch now plays for Washington, and defenseman Bowen Byram (42 points) now plays for Chicago (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Thompson, Jack Quinn, Josh Doan, McLeod, Josh Norris, Zach Benson, Jiri Kulich, Noah Ostlund and Konsta Helenius lead the forwards. Dahlin, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson, Crevier, Grzelcyk and Zellweger are on defense. Lindy Ruff is in his third season as coach.
Goalies: Entering Monday’s game, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had started three games and was 1-2-0 with a .782 save percentage (43 saves on 55 shots). Most recently, he made 14 saves on 18 shots in a 4-0 loss to Dallas (Oct. 8). Colten Ellis has started two games and is 1-1-0 with an .880 save percentage (44 saves on 50 shots). Most recently, he made 26 saves on 30 shots in a 4-1 loss to Utah (Oct. 10). ESPN lists Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as the probable starter for Tuesday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Before Monday’s game, Buffalo was 2-3-0 through five games, with 11 goals scored and 19 allowed. Results: a 6-3 loss at Columbus (Oct. 1), a 4-3 win over Chicago (Oct. 3), a 3-2 overtime win over Minnesota (Oct. 6), a 4-0 loss to Dallas (Oct. 8) and a 4-1 loss to Utah (Oct. 10). Tage Thompson has five points (three goals, two assists), and Owen Power has five points (one goal, four assists) (NHL.com).
Monday’s result: Buffalo beat Florida 5-3 at KeyBank Center on Monday, Oct. 12, so Tuesday’s game is the second night of a back-to-back. Buffalo goals: Josh Doan, Rasmus Dahlin, Ryan McLeod, Noah Ostlund and Tage Thompson. Colten Ellis started in goal for Buffalo and made 7 saves on 9 shots, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen relieved him and stopped 13 of 14 over the last 33 minutes (NHL.com box score). Jacob Markstrom started for Florida and made 9 saves on 11 shots before Akira Schmid relieved him and stopped 18 of 21 (NHL.com box score). (NHL.com)
Injuries: Rasmus Dahlin (upper body) is listed as out; Jason Zucker (abdomen surgery), Alex Lyon (upper body) and Conor Timmins (lower body) are on injured reserve; Topias Leinonen (lower body) and Jack Rathbone (undisclosed) are on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Montreal Canadiens Preview: Suzuki Leads a 2-2-1 Start
2025-26 recap: Montreal went 48-24-10 (106 points), finished third in the Atlantic Division and reached the Eastern Conference Final, beating Tampa Bay and Buffalo in seven games each before losing to Carolina (NHL.com). Captain Nick Suzuki had 101 points (29 goals, 72 assists), Cole Caufield scored 51 goals, Lane Hutson had 78 points from the blue line, Juraj Slafkovsky had 30 goals and Demidov had 62 points.
Offseason moves: Montreal added forward Chris Kreider, who had 22 goals and 50 points for Anaheim last season. Brendan Gallagher now plays for Vancouver, and goalie Jacob Fowler, who went 9-6-2 with a .908 save percentage in 17 games last season, is not on the NHL roster (NHL.com).
Key players & coach: Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, Kreider, Kirby Dach, Josh Anderson, Alex Newhook, Zachary Bolduc, Alexandre Texier and Phillip Danault lead the forwards. Hutson, Noah Dobson, Mike Matheson, Alexandre Carrier and Arber Xhekaj are on defense. Martin St. Louis is in his sixth season as coach.
Goalies: Jakub Dobes has started three games and is 1-1-1 with an .856 save percentage (77 saves on 90 shots). Most recently, he made 27 saves on 32 shots in a 6-4 loss to Carolina (Oct. 6). Jacob Fowler has started two games and is 1-1-0 with a .938 save percentage (45 saves on 48 shots). Most recently, he stopped all 30 shots in a 1-0 shootout win over Detroit (Oct. 10). Samuel Montembeault has not played yet. ESPN lists Jakub Dobes as the probable starter for Tuesday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Montreal is 2-2-1 through five games, with 15 goals scored and 19 allowed. Results: a 3-2 win at Toronto (Sept. 29), a 6-5 overtime loss at Pittsburgh (Oct. 3), a 6-4 loss to Carolina (Oct. 6), a 5-2 loss to Nashville (Oct. 8) and a 1-0 shootout win over Detroit (Oct. 10). Nick Suzuki has seven points (three goals, four assists), and Chris Kreider has four points (one goal, three assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Florian Xhekaj (undisclosed) is day to day; Sam Montembeault (lower body), Oliver Kapanen (lower body) and Ivan Demidov (lower body) are on injured reserve; Bryce Pickford (undisclosed) and Lucas Condotta (undisclosed) are on the injured non-roster list (ESPN).
Key Matchup Notes: Sabres vs Canadiens
- Schedule spot: Buffalo is on the second night of a back-to-back after a 5-3 win over Florida on Monday. Montreal last played on Oct. 10 and visits Washington on Oct. 14.
- Last season: The teams split four meetings last season. Buffalo won 5-3 at home on Jan. 15, 2026 and 4-2 in Montreal on Jan. 22. Montreal won 4-2 at home on Oct. 20, 2025 and 4-2 in Buffalo on Jan. 31 (NHL.com).
- Special teams: Buffalo is converting 5.9 percent of its power plays and has killed 62.5 percent of penalties. Montreal is converting 5.9 percent of its power plays and has killed 76.2 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Buffalo has scored 11 goals and allowed 19 in 5 games before Monday. Montreal has scored 15 goals and allowed 19 in 5 games.
- Odds snapshot: Montreal -155 / Buffalo +130 on the moneyline, Canadiens -1.5 (+160) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens
Date: Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Puck drop: 6:30 PM ET (6:30 PM local)
Venue: Centre Bell, Montreal, Que.
TV: In the U.S., MSG-B carries it in the Sabres’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, TSN2 and RDS carry it (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No U.S. national TV broadcast is listed at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 13, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.