Montreal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction 1/15/2026 Today’s NHL Picks

The Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres meet Thursday in NHL action from the KeyBank Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres prediction.

Montreal Canadiens Recap

The Montreal Canadiens come into this game looking to bounce back from their 3-2 OT loss at the hands of Washington last time out to sit at 26-14-7 this season. After this game, Montreal will head on the road for a game against Ottawa.

Canadiens Alternate Wins & Losses In 4 Straight

Nick Suzuki leads Montreal with 50 points including 14 goals and 36 assists while Cole Caufield has 43 points with a team-high 21 goals. Lane Hutson has 45 points with a team-high 37 assists while Ivan Demidov has 39 points with 10 goals and 29 assists. Noah Dobson has 29 points with 20 assists and Mike Matheson has 21 points with 5 goals and 16 assists. Oliver Kapanen has 27 points with 16 goals and 11 assists while Zack Bolduc has 18 points with 10 goals and 8 assists. Sam Montembault has gone 8-6-2 with a 3.35 GAA and an .874 save percentage in goal for the Canadiens while Jakub Dobes is 14-5-3 with a 3.01 GAA and an .888 save percentage. Jacob Fowler is also 4-3-2 with a 2.46 GAA and an .908 save percentage for the Habs this season.

Buffalo Sabres Recap

The Buffalo Sabres come into this game looking to add on to their 5-2 win over Philadelphia last time out to sit at 25-16-4 this season. After this game, Buffalo will take on the Minnesota Wild at home.

Sabres Win 14 Of Last 16

Tage Thompson leads the Sabres in scoring with 44 points coming on a team-high 22 goals and 22 assists while Alex Tuch has 38 points with 15 goals and 23 assists and Rasmus Dahlin has 32 points with a team-high 26 assists. Josh Doan has 32 points with 14 goals and 18 assists and Ryan McLeod has 29 points with 10 goals and 19 assists. Bowen Byram has 25 points with 10 goals and 15 assists while Jack Quinn’s added 25 points with 10 goals and 15 assists this season. Alex Lyon has gone 10-6-3 with a 2.82 GAA and a .906 save percentage in goal for Buffalo while Colten Ellis is 5-4 with a 3.11 GAA and a .900 save percentage so far this season. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has gone 10-6-1 with a 2.59 GAA and a .904 save percentage up to this point in the year.

Montreal Canadiens @ Buffalo Sabres Betting Trends: January 15, 2026

Why the Buffalo Sabres will win

• The underdogs have won each of the Canadiens’ last eight games at KeyBank Center.
• The Canadiens have lost each of their last three games as road favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The Canadiens have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last 13 games as road favorites.
• The underdogs have covered the puck line in each of the Canadiens’ last eight games at KeyBank Center.
• The Sabres have won the second period in each of their last eight night games.

Why the Montreal Canadiens will win

• The Canadiens have won each of their last six road games against the Sabres.
• The Sabres have lost six of their last seven home games on the second leg of a back-to-back.
• The Canadiens have covered the puck line in each of their last 12 road games against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The Sabres have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last three night games at KeyBank Center following a home win.
• The road team has won the second period in seven of the last eight games between the Canadiens and Sabres.

Total Goals Facts

• Each of the Sabres’ last seven games as underdogs following a win have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Six of the Canadiens’ last seven games as favorites against opponents who are on the second leg of a back-to-back have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• Three of the last four games between two teams from the Atlantic Division have gone UNDER the total goals line.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in seven of the Canadiens’ last eight games as favorites against Eastern Conference opponents.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 3′ market has hit in each of the Sabres’ last seven night games.

Buffalo Sabres Player Prop Facts

• Alex Tuch has scored the last goal in three of the Sabres’ last four home games against Atlantic Division opponents.
• Ryan McLeod has recorded at least one assist in seven of the Sabres’ last eight games as underdogs against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Tage Thompson has scored a goal in three of the Sabres’ last four games as home underdogs.
• Tyson Kozak has recorded a faceoff win percentage of 75.0% against the Canadiens this season – most against any opponent.

Montreal Canadiens Player Prop Facts

• Joe Veleno has scored a goal in four of his last five appearances with his team as a road favorite against Atlantic Division opponents.
• Nick Suzuki has recorded at least one assist in nine of the Canadiens’ last 10 games as favorites against Atlantic Division opponents.
• Patrik Laine has scored the last goal in three of his last four appearances with his team as a road favorite against Eastern Conference opponents.
• Kaiden Guhle has recorded 24 career blocks against the Sabres – most against any opponent (including playoffs).

Matchup/League Facts

• The Buffalo Sabres rank 4th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (84.55%).
• The Buffalo Sabres have recorded the equal-longest road winning streak (7 games) in the NHL this season.
• The Montreal Canadiens rank 5th in the league for goals per game this season (3.34).
• The Montreal Canadiens has scored 4+ goals in 25 games this season – equal-most in the NHL.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres Prediction

I’m on the Sabres here. I get the case to be made for Montreal with Buffalo on the back-to-back but the Sabres are so red hot right now that it’s hard to go against them. Montreal hasn’t been as sharp on the road as of late, and I think thi is going to be a competitive matchup. Give me Buffalo here.

Chris Ruffolo's Pick: Buffalo +105