Canadiens vs Sabres Prediction: NHL Odds for Monday, October 23
Kavin Mistry/NHLI via Getty Images. Pictured: Owen Power
Canadiens vs Sabres Odds
| Canadiens Odds | +146 |
| Sabres Odds | -176 |
| Over / Under | 6.5 -128 / +102 |
With all 32 NHL teams in action on Tuesday night for ESPN's first-ever Frozen Frenzy, there's just one game on Monday's hockey schedule.
And even though it features two non-playoff teams, it's a juicy matchup between two Atlantic Division rivals as the Montreal Canadiens visit the Buffalo Sabres.
The rebuilding Canadiens are off to a solid start this season with an early 2-1-1 record. And after missing the playoffs last year by just a single point, the Sabres have struggled a bit out of the gate.
A bright spot was their Saturday win over the New York Islanders, arguably their most complete game of the year.
With the entire hockey world watching on Monday night, both sides will be looking to keep their good vibes going. Here's why the road dogs offer an enticing opportunity for bettors.
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Not much is expected from the Canadiens this season, and the news that a serious knee injury has sidelined top center Kirby Dach for the year brings back memories of last year's constant roster shuffling.
A lofty 36 skaters played at least one game for Montreal in the 2022-23 season.
But at 2-1-1, the Canadiens' month of October has actually been pretty good so far. Taking Toronto to a shootout in the season opener was a nice tone-setter. Since then, they've eked out wins over Chicago and Washington, and lost to Minnesota.
The Canadiens have built a solid foundation for their game, controlling 51.2% of expected goals at 5-on-5. New faces such as Tanner Pearson and Alex Newhook have helped stabilize the forward group, and their two-way depth is improved by having a healthy Sean Monahan back in the middle.
In net, Sam Montembeault and Jake Allen have split the starts so far, and delivered very similar results. The Canadiens will also host a tough New Jersey Devils team on Tuesday night, so expect the goalies to split the starts. It shouldn't matter which stopper gets which game.
Meanwhile, the Sabres' start to the new year has been disappointing: 2-3-0 and averaging just 2.40 goals per game.
On special teams, they are a grim 1-for-16 on the power play, which has only been redeemed by a penalty kill that hasn't given up a goal in four games and is 18-for-19 for the year.
The Sabres are also working off a slightly shakier foundation, controlling 49.39% of expected goals at 5-on-5. But Saturday's 3-1 win over a tired New York Islanders team was an encouraging outing that could be something to build off.
In net, Saturday's game was an impressive season debut for Eric Comrie, who saved 1.0 goals above expected.
With every team in action on Tuesday, the Sabres will also be on a back-to-back with travel; they'll visit Ottawa for their follow-up game.
As of Sunday afternoon, there's no word yet on who will start against the Canadiens but the Sabres still have three goalies on their roster. Devon Levi played the first four games of the year before being sidelined with a minor injury, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen hasn't seen action since the preseason.
Canadiens vs. Sabres
Betting Pick & Prediction
Although Buffalo finished 23 points above Montreal in the Atlantic Division standings in the 2022-23 campaign, it was the Canadiens who prevailed in the season series — and the visitors won every game. Montreal picked up a 3-2 regulation win in October and a 4-3 shootout win in March at KeyBank Center, while Buffalo laid out a 7-2 beatdown at the Bell Centre in late November.
So while the Sabres seem due for a breakout, the Canadiens are actually well-positioned to steal two points in Western New York on Monday.
And that's good news for bettors. Montreal is a significant road underdog with a line that opened at +160, and it's still there at DraftKings as of Sunday afternoon.
That line works out to implied odds of just 38% for a Montreal win, and this matchup is much more of a coin flip. If you can find a line like that, it's worth grabbing to see if the Canadiens can keep their early-season hot streak alive.
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