Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/12/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Venue:  Bell Centre, Montréal, QC

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Sabres +114, Canadiens -135; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Sabres +115, Canadiens -135; Over/Under:  6 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Sabres +115, Canadiens -135; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Buffalo Sabres:  50-23-9 (1st place, Atlantic Division)

Montreal Canadiens:  48-24-10 (3rd place, Atlantic Division)

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Buffalo Sabres:  5-3-2 last 10

Montreal Canadiens:  6-2-2 last 10

The Sabres are entering the playoffs with 109 points, a 50-23-9 record overall, and they were 24-13-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Montreal Canadiens in their last game, losing that one on the road 6-2. Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Rasmus Dahlin, Tage Thompson, and Josh Doan each led the team in assists with 1 while Josh Doan and Alex Tuch each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Alex Lyon was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 5 goals on 36 shots with 31 saves and a .861 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 288 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 241 goals against them allowing 2.9 goals per game.

The Canadiens are entering the playoffs with 106 points, a 48-24-10 record overall, and they were 24-15-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Buffalo Sabres in their last game, winning that one at home 6-2. Alex Newhook led the team in goals scored with 2 while Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovský, Kirby Dach, and Zachary Bolduc each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Jake Evans and Lane Hutson each led the team in assists with 2 while Alex Newhook, Juraj Slafkovský, Kirby Dach, Nick Suzuki, and Josh Anderson each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Jakub Dobeš was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 2 goals on 28 shots with 26 saves and a .929 save percentage. Their offense has scored 283 goals this season averaging 3.5 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 256 goals against them allowing 3.1 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Canadiens listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Sabres have looked great in their games this season with their 50-23-9 record overall which had them right at the top of their division in the East with one of the best records in the entire NHL. They have been a good road team too with their 24-13-4 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have looked good in their games this season with their 48-24-10 record overall which had them in the top half of their division in the East. They have looked good on home ice too with their 24-15-2 home record this season. This is game 4 of a 7-game series between the 1st seeded Sabres and the 3rd seeded Canadiens from the Atlantic Division for the 2nd round of the NHL playoffs. The Canadiens are entering this game with a 2-1 series lead after winning game 3 by a score of 6-2. The Canadiens have looked great in this series after a bad game 1 and now they have all of the momentum on their side. The Sabres started this series really hot with a win in game 1 and they were the better team from start to finish in that one, but they were also more rested and getting a Canadiens team that had just finished a 7 game series against the Lightning. The Canadiens weren't at their best in that game and it showed, but they answered the call with a better game 2 and they were the ones leading from start to finish. They managed to flip the home advantage in their favor and now have a big edge in this series, and they have won 2 games in a row now with another crushing win at home in game 3. The Sabres haven't been finding the net lately either and their offense hasn't been that great in the playoffs so far as they have been a really up and down team going back to the 1st round against the Bruins. The Canadiens have been the more consistent team throughout the playoffs with a steady defense that hasn't been giving up many goals and they are going to continue rolling in this one now that they have the momentum in this series on their side. The best way to place a bet here is on the Canadiens to win this game. 

Sabres Canadiens Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Tuesday, May 12, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Canadiens 4 Sabres 1.

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Buffalo Sabres: 14-7 (+9.5 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +150. 24-14 (+11.8 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite. 36-22 (+10.8 units) on the moneyline against terrible defensive teams - allowing 3+ goals/game. 15-8 OVER revenging a same season loss vs opponent.

Montreal Canadiens: 24-21 (-5.3 units) on the moneyline as a favorite. 11-13 (-5.8 units) on the moneyline at home when the money line is -100 to -150. 3-6 (-4.3 units) on the moneyline after scoring 6 goals or more in their previous game. 24-13 OVER when the money line is -100 to -150.

Buffalo Sabres:  N. Ostlund (C) Out - Lower Body. S. Carrick (C) Day To Day - Arm. J. Kulich (C) Out For Season - Ear. J. Danforth (RW) Out For Season - Kneecap.

Montreal Canadiens:  P. Laine (RW) Out - Abdomen.

“We got the best start we could get to the game, and then we were breaking a couple of pucks out and we made some ill-advised plays, some bad decisions that we haven’t been making. Montreal’s a good team. They made us pay for our mistakes.” - Lindy Ruff after his team’s loss against the Canadiens in the 3rd game of this series on Sunday. 

“We had the momentum a lot. We kept it for a long time. Of course you’re going to lose momentum, Buffalo is an excellent team, but we didn’t hurt ourselves too much when we lost it.” - Martin St Louis after his team’s win against the Sabres in game 3 of this series on Sunday. 

LW Peyton Krebs

C Tage Thompson

RW Alex Tuch

LD Rasmus Dahlin

RD Mattias Samuelsson

G Alex Lyon

LW Cole Caufield

C Nick Suzuki

RW Juraj Slafkovský

LD Mike Matheson

RD Alexandre Carrier

G Jakub Dobes

Points: Tage Thompson (81)

Goals: Tage Thompson (40)

Assists: Rasmus Dahlin (55)

GAA: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2.52)

Points: Nick Suzuki (101)

Goals: Cole Caufield (51)

Assists: Nick Suzuki (72)

GAA: Jacob Fowler (2.43)

Coaches:

Buffalo Sabres: Lindy Ruff (2nd season)

Montreal Canadiens: Martin St. Louis (5th season)