Montreal vs Buffalo Prediction 17 October 2026

Montreal have collected seven points from their opening seven games and currently sit outside the playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The main issue is glaring: in four games, the Canadiens have conceded at least five goals-and lost all four. Their power play hasn’t been much better, converting just 13.7% of their opportunities, which ranks sixth-worst in the league. Injuries are making matters worse. Oliver Kapanen, Ivan Demidov, Samuel Montembeault, and Florian Xhekaj are all sidelined, while Mike Matheson remains a doubt. Martin St. Louis is forced to search for answers on multiple fronts.

Their recent clash with Washington highlighted exactly why Montreal are struggling to find consistency. The Canadiens twice took the lead in the first period, then Josh Anderson netted a brace to tie things up in the second. But they couldn’t keep the Capitals at bay. Washington struck twice in the third period, and although Nick Suzuki pulled one back late, it only narrowed the deficit to 4-5. What’s particularly frustrating is that Montreal conceded not just while shorthanded but also during their own power play. Jakub Dobes made 19 saves. The team managed to score four times again, but even that wasn’t enough to secure the win.

Buffalo have come away with four wins from eight games, even as Lindy Ruff continues to deal with a lengthy injury list. Connor Timmins, Alex Lyon, Jason Zucker, and Matt Grzelcyk remain sidelined, while the status of Josh Norris, Jiri Kulich, and Rasmus Dahlin is still up in the air. Despite these setbacks, the Sabres are limiting opponents to just 23.7 shots on goal per game-fifth-best in the league. However, their faceoff numbers tell a different story: with only 46.6% of draws won, they sit 26th in the NHL. When you’re constantly chasing possession, even a well-drilled defense can be stretched to its limits.

The Sabres once again demonstrated their resilience against Toronto, showing they know how to claw back from almost hopeless situations. Trailing 2-4 heading into the third period, Buffalo outshot the Maple Leafs 11-4 over the final frame and forced overtime. Jack Quinn was the standout performer, racking up four points with two goals and two assists. He set up Dennis Gilbert to cut the deficit and then played a key role in Owen Power’s game-winning play. In between, Mattias Samuelsson also found the net. The 5-4 final score secured two points for Buffalo, but Ruff was quick to stress postgame that his team need to address their slow starts. This was already the fourth time this season the Sabres have come from two goals down. It nearly worked against Montreal as well, but relying on comebacks is always a dangerous game.