Canadiens vs. Sabres Game 7 Prediction, Odds and Props: Target Thompson
The Buffalo Sabres throttled the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 on the road, winning 8-3, to force a Game 7 on home ice.
FanDuel Sportsbook has the Sabres as a slight home favorite at -120 with the total sitting at 5.5 goals.
Canadiens vs. Sabres Game 7 odds
| Moneyline | Puck Line | Total |
| Canadiens (+100) | Canadiens, +1.5 goals (-235) | Over 5.5 goals (-115) |
| Sabres (-120) | Sabres, -1.5 goals (+210) | Under 5.5 goals (+105) |
Roaring back
Things did not look good for the Sabres, down 3-1 just over 10 minutes into Game 6, but their attack ramped up, and they outscored the Canadiens 7-0 the rest of the way.
Buffalo outshot Montreal 36-22 and were killer with the extra man, going 4-for-6 on the power play.
No place like the road?
The Sabres crushed the Canadiens on their ice in Game 6, and while they are 5-1 on the road in the playoffs, they are only 2-4 at home. They lost their last two games on home ice, allowing 11 goals in the process.
The home team has only won two of six games in this series.
The Canadiens look to repeat what they did in their first-round win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, when they failed to close out the series at home in Game 6 before winning on the road in Game 7.
Which goalies will show up?
Buffalo’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (3-2, 3.36 GAA, .875 save %) was pulled in Game 5 for Alex Lyon (4-3, 2.59 GAA, .904 save %), but in Game 6 it was Lyon who was yanked after giving up three goals on only four shots. Luukkonen will likely get the start, and while he allowed five goals in Game 5, he allowed none on 18 shots in Game 6.
Jakub Dobes (7-6, 2.59 GAA, .904 save %) was lit up for six goals in Game 6 and has started every game in this series for the Canadiens. Facing a heavy workload, the second-year netminder has been up and down in the series. He'll need to be strong starting a Game 7 for the second straight series.
Montreal looks to bounce back
The Canadiens have a tall task bouncing back from such a bad performance on home ice in Game 6. However, they are 5-0 after playoff losses.
Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Lane Hutson are the Canadiens' best players and they will need to step up on the big stage. Caufield had scored in three straight games before registering just an assist in Game 6.
Key players stepping up
Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin led the Sabres this season in points, and they combined for two goals and seven assists in Game 6. Thompson has a goal in three of the last four games of this series.
PlayersBest pick: Sabres -120
This has been a wacky series, for sure, and because of that, many experts are picking the Canadiens, but I am not one of them.
The Sabres have the momentum after lighting it up for eight goals in Game 6.
Luukkonen has been up and down, but did not give up any goals in his last outing. While he struggled in the last home game, he will be decent in this one. The Sabres’ attack will be solid again and will come up big on home ice, as Buffalo will win and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to take on the Carolina Hurricanes.
Canadiens vs. Sabres Game 7 player prop picks
Below are some of the Habs vs. Sabres player prop picks we like at BetMGM Sportsbook:
We're taking the Tage Thompson express for these ones:
- Thompson Over 3.5 shots (-105) – We took this prop in Game 6, and the Sabres forward notched six shots.
- Thompson anytime goal scorer (+175) – How about also taking a flyer on Thompson to get the first goal of the game at +1000?
