The Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens entered this season with high expectations after their successful 2025-26 seasons. Both teams made a statement that they could contend in a tough Atlantic Division, with Buffalo ending a long playoff drought by reaching the second round, where they met the Canadiens, who eliminated them before losing in the Eastern Conference Final. It's been a different season for both teams, as Montreal's last-year hero, Jakub Dobes, hasn't found the same form, and the team has turned to rookie goaltender Jacob Fowler for two straight games. They are also missing young star Ivan Demidov, who is out for another couple of weeks with an injury. That has led to a 2-2-1 start to the season.
The Sabres are also treading water, entering this game with a 3-3-0 record after returning to .500 with a win over the Florida Panthers on Monday afternoon. They suffered a tough loss in the win, as captain Rasmus Dahlin exited with an upper-body injury and will not make the trip to Montreal. Neither team has found its form yet this season, but the Dahlin injury and the second day of a back-to-back could leave Buffalo a step behind Montreal on Tuesday evening.
Sabres vs Canadiens prediction: Canadiens ML (-160) available at time of publishing. Playable to -165..
