Our Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Saturday, October 17, 2026. The Buffalo Sabres (4-3-1 this season; 50-23-9 in 2025-26) visit the Montreal Canadiens (3-3-1 this season; 48-24-10 in 2025-26) at Centre Bell in Montreal, Que. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local). TV: NHL Network / MSG-B / Sportsnet East / TVA Sports.
Storyline: Buffalo enters Saturday at 4-3-1 after a 5-4 overtime win at Toronto (Oct. 15). Montreal enters Saturday at 3-3-1 after a 5-4 loss at Washington (Oct. 14). The teams split four meetings last season (NHL.com). DraftKings lists Montreal at -142 and Buffalo at +120 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 4-3-1 | Montreal Canadiens 3-3-1 |
| 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 (-205) | MTL -1.5 (+170) |
| Moneyline | Buffalo Sabres: +120 | Montreal Canadiens: -142 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o-110 / u-110) |
| Venue | Centre Bell (Montreal, Que.) |
| Date / Time | Saturday, October 17, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | NHL Network / MSG-B / Sportsnet East / TVA Sports |
| Probable Starting Goalies | BUF: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) | MTL: Jakub Dobes (probable, per ESPN; not confirmed) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN) as of Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, ~6:24 PM ET. 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: Quinn Leads a 4-3-1 Start
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 and Zellweger are on defense. Lindy Ruff is in his third season as coach.
Goalies: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has started five games and is 3-2-1 with an .854 save percentage (117 saves on 137 shots, including relief). Most recently, he made 26 saves on 30 shots in a 5-4 overtime win at Toronto (Oct. 15). Colten Ellis has started three games and is 1-1-0 with an .864 save percentage (51 saves on 59 shots). Most recently, he made 7 saves on 9 shots in a 5-3 win over Florida (Oct. 12). ESPN lists Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Buffalo is 4-3-1 through eight games, with 24 goals scored and 30 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), a 4-1 loss to Utah (Oct. 10), a 5-3 win over Florida (Oct. 12), a 4-3 shootout loss at Montreal (Oct. 13) and a 5-4 overtime win at Toronto (Oct. 15). Jack Quinn has eight points (four goals, four assists), and Tage Thompson has eight points (four goals, four assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Rasmus Dahlin (upper body) is listed as out; Josh Norris (concussion) and Jiri Kulich (undisclosed) are day to day; Alex Lyon (upper body), Matt Grzelcyk (lower body), Jason Zucker (abdomen surgery) 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 3-3-1 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 Ivan 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 (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 four games and is 1-2-1 with an .842 save percentage (96 saves on 114 shots). Most recently, he made 19 saves on 24 shots in a 5-4 loss at Washington (Oct. 14). Jacob Fowler has started three games and is 2-1-0 with a .906 save percentage (58 saves on 64 shots). Most recently, he made 13 saves on 16 shots in a 4-3 shootout win over Buffalo (Oct. 13). ESPN lists Jakub Dobes as the probable starter for Saturday (not confirmed at research time).
Season so far: Montreal is 3-3-1 through seven games, with 23 goals scored and 27 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), a 1-0 shootout win over Detroit (Oct. 10), a 4-3 shootout win over Buffalo (Oct. 13) and a 5-4 loss at Washington (Oct. 14). Nick Suzuki has nine points (four goals, five assists), and Lane Hutson has eight points (two goals, six assists) (NHL.com).
Injuries: Florian Xhekaj (lower body) is listed as out; Mike Matheson (lower body) 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 last played on Oct. 15 and hosts Philadelphia on Oct. 21. Montreal last played on Oct. 14 and hosts San Jose on Oct. 20. Neither team played on Friday, Oct. 16, so neither is on the second night of a back-to-back (NHL.com).
- 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 10.3 percent of its power plays and has killed 61.5 percent of penalties. Montreal is converting 13.6 percent of its power plays and has killed 80 percent of penalties (NHL.com).
- Scoring: Buffalo has scored 24 goals and allowed 30 in 8 games. Montreal has scored 23 goals and allowed 27 in 7 games.
- Odds snapshot: Montreal -142 / Buffalo +120 on the moneyline, Canadiens -1.5 (+170) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: Centre Bell, Montreal, Que.
TV: NHL Network has the game nationally in the U.S. Regionally, MSG-B carries it in the Sabres’ market (NHL.com). In Canada, Sportsnet East and TVA Sports carry it (NHL.com).
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 17, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.