Montreal Canadiens vs Buffalo Sabres Betting Pick & Prediction 12/9/23

Looking to win big? The Canadiens and Sabres face off at 7:00 ET on MSG-. The Sabres are hosting the game at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY. The over/under for this matchup is currently set at 6.5 goals and the Sabres are the favorite to win at home vs. the Canadiens.

MONTREAL CANADIENS VS BUFFALO SABRES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Buffalo Sabres -1.5

This game will be played at KeyBank Center at 7:00 ET on Saturday, December 9th.

WHY BET THE BUFFALO SABRES:

• In spite of being 1.5 goal underdogs, we anticipate the Canadiens winning this one 4-3.
• We like the Canadiens on the moneyline (+146)
• The Canadiens are also our pick on the spread at +1.5

Can Montreal Lock in a Road Win?

The Canadiens come in with an overall record of 11-12-3. On the road, Montreal has a 5-4-2 record, whereas they are 6-8-1 at home. They are currently positioned 6th in the Eastern Atlantic division and 13th in the Eastern conference.

When it came to the puck line, Montreal have posted a 14-12 record. Their road performance against the puck line stands at 7-4, while they are 7-8 at home. This season, Montreal’s games have an average of 6.3 goals per game. The average over/under number for the season is 6.4. The Canadiens come in with an over/under performance of 12-13-1.

Although Montreal has a straight up record of 2-1 in their last three road games, they have not held up as well vs. the puck line going 1-2. The team averaged 2 goals per game in these games.

On the offensive side, the Canadiens are scoring an 2.7 goals per game this season, ranking 28th in the NHL. When it came to shots on target per game, they are 25th in the league. The Montreal offense is ranked 17th in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they find themselves at 12th in the NHL.

The leading scorer for Montreal’s offense is Sean Monahan. Coming into the game he has 8 goals, ranking 81st in the NHL. In addition to his goal scoring, Monahan has 7 assists this season.

Defensively, the Sabres are currently 14th in goals allowed. On average, opponents are taking 29.7 shots per game against Buffalo. They also are 21st in shutouts, coming in with 1 shutouts.

Goalie Cayden Primeau gets the start and has made five starts this season. His record at this point is 2-3, and his save percentage is 88.6%.

Can The Sabres Secure a Home Victory?

Facing the Canadiens, the Sabres have a record of 11-14-2 so far. At home, their record is 5-7-0 and 6-7-2 on the road. Their current record places them 7th in the Eastern Atlantic division and 14th in the Eastern conference.

Against the puck line, Buffalo is 14-13. Their road puck line record so far is 10-5 while sitting 4-8 at home against the puckline. For the season, Buffalo’s games have finished with an average of 6.2 goals per game. Their average over/under line for the season is 6.5. Overall, the Sabres have an over/under record of 11-15-1.

Through their last three home contests, the Sabres offense has averaged 3 goals per game while allowing an average of 4. Buffalo posted an overall record of 1-2 while going 1-2 ATS.

The Sabres come into the game scoring an average of 2.9 goals per game, putting them 18th in the NHL. Regarding shots targeted at the goal per game, they are 14th in the league. The Buffalo offense is ranked 25th in power play goals. As for shorthanded goals, they find themselves at 18th in the NHL.

Buffalo’s leading goal scorer is JJ Peterka. So far this season, he has 11 goals, placing him 33rd in the NHL. Peterka also comes into the game with 9 assists.

The Sabres defense is currently 14th in goals allowed. Opponents are averaging 29.7 shots per game against Buffalo. In terms of shutouts, they come into the game ranked 21st with 1 shutouts.

Goalie Eric Comrie comes into the game having made seven starts this season. So far, his record is 1-5 and he has a save percentage of 86.1%.