The Canadiens open up their series in Buffalo tonight against the Sabres, while the Golden Knights look to build on their series lead
The sun is coming up in Toronto, just a sliver. After months of months of wind, darkness and cold, the Leafs, incredibly, secured the No. 1 overall draft pick in last night’s lottery.
In Montreal, though, and just south of Toronto, in Buffalo, they have more important things on their plate.
Game 1 of their second round series gets going at KeyBank Center tonight, with odds on the series winner tight.
In NHL betting on Betway, the Canadiens are favorites to win the series, at -120, the Sabres at +100.
The Sabres are enjoying their first return to the playoff dance in 14 years. The Canadiens are back for the first time since 2021.
What these teams have in common is they’re young, fast and rising up, with a lot to like in their respective prospect pipelines. The Sabres have great center depth, starting with Konsta Helenius. The Habs have one of the deepest prospect pools in the NHL, after the San Jose Sharks.
That all makes this series more fascinating. It’s an old Adams Division rivalry, for the grey hairs, going back to the Gilbert Perreault and Guy Lafleur teams from the history books, with Tage Thompson and Cole Caulfield writing their own chapters now.
BEST BETS
NHL
Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m. EST, KeyBank Center, Buffalo, NY
Over 5.5 -125
According to NHL betting odds at Betway, the Sabres are -130 betting favourites, the Canadiens +110. Against the spread: Sabres -1.5 (+185), Canadiens +1.5 (-236). Over/Under is 5.5 (Over -125, Under +105).
No injuries to report for either team this morning.
Get ready for a ride – this is going to be a close, hard-fought series. The Sabres have home ice advantage, but the Canadiens just took out the favoured Tampa Bay Lightning with decisive road wins.
An interesting storyline here is power play. Montreal has been one of the better teams on the PP during the playoffs, converting 19.2% of their chances.
The Sabres? Last in the NHL, at 4.2%.
Special teams will be the difference in a series seemingly as tight as this one.
Look for the Sabres to take Game 1 on home ice, 4-2, or 4-3. The series, though, feels like seven games (+190 at Betway).
Interesting prop: Alex Tuch, Total Goals Over 0.5 (+165) at Betway. Tuch is a player to keep an eye on – with four goals, and seven points, in their series win over the Boston Bruins. Tuch was the Sabres’ most dangerous player in that series.
BEST BETS
NHL
Anaheim Ducks at Vegas Golden Knights, 9:30 p.m. EST, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
Golden Knights To Win -160
According to NHL betting odds at Betway, the Golden Knights are -160 betting favourites, the Ducks +130. Against the spread: Golden Knights -1.5 (+145), Ducks +1.5 (-190). Over/Under is 6.5 (Over +105, Under -120).
A terrifying scenario for Leafs fans in the emotional Coney Island rollercoaster ride that has been their offseason so far is Mitch Marner circling the ice along with his Vegas Golden Knights teammates, hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Now, we’re aways away from that, especially since that would mean the Golden Knights would have to make their way through the behemoth that is the Colorado Avalanche.
Still, a few factors point to a Golden Knights win tonight: They are at home, and will get a boost from the T-Mobile Arena crowd, with a hot goaltender backing them up. Carter Hart has been outstanding – with a .910 save percentage in the playoffs, .965 in the last few games. He stopped 33 pucks in Game 1 (a 3-1 Golden Knights win), for a .971 SV%
Vegas has gone 6-1 at home since early April. And the Golden Knights killed all four Anaheim power plays in Game 1 and boast a strong PK overall (second in the league in the playoffs, at 95%).
And back to Marner – despite being a prolific scorer, he’s also an adept penalty killer. Plus, William Karlsson’s return from injury gives their forward grouping even more of a boost.
Interesting player prop: Marner Over 2.5 Shots on Goal (+110 at Betway), generating a lot of volume lately, clicking on the Golden Knights’ top six.
