Canadiens vs. Sabres Game 7 Prediction & Best Bets: Do or Die Duel in Buffalo

The Montreal Canadiens have shown no fear on the road thus far in the playoffs, and it has put them on the brink of a trip to the Eastern Conference finals. Is a second straight Game 7 road win in the forecast for Montreal? A big task awaits the Canadiens tonight vs. the Sabres, but they have shown themselves to be up for the task thus far.

In the first round, the Canadiens alternated wins with the Tampa Bay Lightning in a series in which all seven games were decided by a single goal. That included Game 7 at Amalie Arena, in which Alex Newhook's third-period goal secured a 2-1 win and the series.

That win was Montreal's third in Tampa, and the Canadiens have continued to excel on the road in this round vs. the Sabres. They secured a split of the first two games with a resounding win in Game 2, then moved within a win of advancing with a similar statement in Game 5.

After being unable to make the most of an early two-goal lead at home on Saturday, the Canadiens find themselves back at KeyBank Center one last time.

Tonight's winner will move on to meet the Carolina Hurricanes for the Eastern Conference crown, while the loser will lament what could have been but ultimately wasn't.

Who will rise to the occasion tonight? The Sabres hold a slight edge at Lucky Rebel and other top online sportsbooks, but the Canadiens certainly won't see themselves as underdogs.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres Game 7 Odds and Probabilities

Odds are from Lucky Rebel.

Canadiens vs. Sabres Prediction and Analysis

That this series is going the distance is not at all a surprise, given each team's body of work for the season.

Among the eight Eastern Conference playoff teams, only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers tallied fewer points at home in the regular season than Montreal. Both the Pens and Flyers picked up 48 points at home, while the Canadiens finished with 50.

On the flip side, only three teams across the league performed better points-wise on the road. Montreal tallied 56 points on the road, a total equaled or bested by only two teams: Dallas (also 56) and Colorado (63).

Losing two of three at home in this series is certainly not ideal for the Sabres, as only the Hurricanes (60), Bruins (59), and Avalanche (58) had more regular season points at home than Buffalo's 57.

However, they are still alive and kicking because they went 2-1 in Montreal, including Saturday's wild series-extending 8-3 win. That falls in line with their own prowess on the road, as they were sixth in road points (52) in the regular season and are 5-1-0 in the road in the postseason.

There haven't been as many close games in the Canadiens vs. Sabres series, as Buffalo's 3-2 win in Game 4 is the lone one-goal game in the series. But between the high stakes and familiarity there is at this point between two teams who have met 10 times this season, I expect a close contest.

I like the home team to edge it, but instead of taking one side over the other, I'm going with a double dip of one-goal win bets. There's a risk in it, but it also sets up an opportunity to profit no matter who wins if the game is indeed decided by a goal.

Canadiens vs. Sabres Best Bets

Montreal to win by exactly one goal (+315 at Lucky Rebel)

Buffalo to win by exactly one goal (+275 at Lucky Rebel)