Sabres vs. Canadiens NHL Playoffs Game 4 Picks

Sabres vs. Canadiens NHL Playoffs Game 4 Picks 

Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens will take place on Tuesday night in Montreal. Coming off back-to-back victories, the Canadiens have a golden chance in front of their home crowd to seize a commanding 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven set. With puck drop set for 7:00 pm ET on ESPN, it’s time to break down the odds and discuss the best bets to make 

Sabres vs Canadiens Game 4 Predictions 

Pick #1: Montreal Canadiens ML over Buffalo Sabres (-134) 

Pick #2: Under 6.5 (-125) 

Pick #3: Juraj Slafkovsky Over 0.5 points (-155) 

PICK #1: Montreal Canadiens ML over Buffalo Sabres (-134) 

The Canadiens didn’t just win Game 2 and Game 3 – they dominated them by a combined 11-3 scoreline. Their 6-2 rout this past Sunday featured dominance in every facet of the game. Montreal finished with more shots and more hits, won more faceoffs and watched Buffalo rack up more penalty minutes. The Sabres scored only one goal in 5-on-5 situations, whereas the Canadiens lit the lamp four times at even strength and all six of their goals came prior to Buffalo vacating the net for an extra man.

Perhaps even more alarming for the Sabres is that they got crushed at home in Game 2 despite producing more shots and more hits while committing fewer penalty minutes. If they can’t win that way, how can they? It's also worth noting that Montreal has won three of the last four head-to-head encounters dating back to the regular season and has also won eight of the last 11. During this stretch, seven of those eight victories have come by multiple goals. 

PICK #2: Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens Under 6.5 (-125)

Although the past two contests were high-scoring affairs, that seems to be an aberration as opposed to the rule for Montreal. In its first-round series against Tampa Bay, the last six games all featured five goals or fewer. A total of four goals were scored in the final two games.

Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes has continued to be outstanding in round two. For the playoffs on the whole, Dobes is sporting a 2.13 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. Alex Lyon has struggled for Buffalo over his past two starts, but he held Boston to a grand total of five goals in five appearances (four starts) during the first round. There is no reason why Lyon can’t get back on track. The under is 6-2-1 in Montreal’s last nine overall. 

PICK #3: Juraj Slafkovsky Over 0.5 points (-155) 

The Canadiens’ 22-year-old left winger was somewhat cold coming into this series, but he tallied an assist in Game 1 and a goal in Game 3. That should restore his confidence heading into Tuesday, when he – and the rest of the Canadiens – will face a rather shaky goaltender in the form of either Lyon or Ukka-Pekka Lukkonen. It should also not be forgotten that Slafkovsky recorded a hat trick in Game 1 against Tampa Bay, so he knows how to come up big in the playoffs.

In four games against Buffalo during the regular season, the former No. 1 overall pick (2022) found the back of the net twice on 12 shots – his most against any opponent. With Montreal’s offense firing on all cylinders at the moment, there should be enough points to go around on Tuesday for Slafkovsky to contribute at least one.