Schedule and 2025-26 Results
Regular Season Records: Buffalo 50-23-9=109pts, Montreal 48-24-10=106pts
Game 1 on Wednesday, 06 May: Montreal loses at Buffalo, 4-goals-2
Game 2 on Friday, 08 May: Montreal wins at Buffalo, 5-goals-1
Game 3 on Sunday, 10 May: Buffalo loses at Montreal, 6-goals-2
Game 4 on Tuesday, 12 May: Buffalo wins at Montreal, 3-goals-2
Game 5 on Thursday, 14 May: Montreal wins at Buffalo, 6-goals-3
Game 6 on Saturday, 16 May: Buffalo at Montreal
Game 7* on Monday, 18 May: Montreal at Buffalo
* if needed

HISTORICAL VICTORY PROBABILITIES: Leading 3-games-2:
Ignoring win order; ignoring site order: The team leading 3-games-2 irrespective of site order (Montreal) has the following best-of-7 playoff series and games record through the 2026 NBA/NHL Preliminary round:
series record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 755-190 (.799)
series record, all best-of-7 sports, Quarterfinals round: 212-47 (.819)
series record, NHL only, all rounds: 371-94 (.798)
series record, NHL only, Quarterfinals round: 100-27 (.787)
Game 6 record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 522-423 (.552)
Game 6 record, all best-of-7 sports, Quarterfinals round: 132-127 (.510)
Game 6 record, NHL only, all rounds: 263-202 (.566)
Game 6 record, NHL only, Quarterfinals round: 64-63 (.504)
These records are drawn from the applicable 1632 best-of-7 NHL, NBA, and MLB series played through the 2026 NBA/NHL Preliminary round. Note in general that the greater the number of games or series fitting a particular situation, the greater the significance of the corresponding winning fraction: For example, 0.800 is far more likely to come closer to the true winning fraction in a given situation when the corresponding win-loss record is 400-100 rather than 4-1.

HISTORICAL VICTORY PROBABILITIES: Leading 3-games-2 @ VVHHV:
Ignoring win order; considering site order: The team leading 3-games-2 with site order VVHHV (Montreal) has the following best-of-7 playoff series and games record through the 2026 NBA/NHL Preliminary round:
series record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 231-69 (.770)
series record, all best-of-7 sports, Quarterfinals round: 72-18 (.800)
series record, NHL only, all rounds: 144-40 (.783)
series record, NHL only, Quarterfinals round: 41-8 (.837)
Game 6 record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 184-116 (.613)
Game 6 record, all best-of-7 sports, Quarterfinals round: 52-38 (.578)
Game 6 record, NHL only, all rounds: 113-71 (.614)
Game 6 record, NHL only, Quarterfinals round: 27-22 (.551)
These records are drawn from the applicable 1632 best-of-7 NHL, NBA, and MLB series played through the 2026 NBA/NHL Preliminary round. Note in general that the greater the number of games or series fitting a particular situation, the greater the significance of the corresponding winning fraction: For example, 0.800 is far more likely to come closer to the true winning fraction in a given situation when the corresponding win-loss record is 400-100 rather than 4-1.

HISTORICAL VICTORY PROBABILITIES: Leading LWWLW:
Considering win order; ignoring site order: The team leading LWWLW irrespective of site order (Montreal) has the following best-of-7 playoff series and games record through the 2026 NBA/NHL Preliminary round:
series record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 75-12 (.862)
series record, all best-of-7 sports, Quarterfinals round: 21-3 (.875)
series record, NHL only, all rounds: 37-5 (.881)
series record, NHL only, Quarterfinals round: 7-2 (.778)
Game 6 record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 43-44 (.494)
Game 6 record, all best-of-7 sports, Quarterfinals round: 9-15 (.375)
Game 6 record, NHL only, all rounds: 23-19 (.548)
Game 6 record, NHL only, Quarterfinals round: 4-5 (.444)
These records are drawn from the applicable 1632 best-of-7 NHL, NBA, and MLB series played through the 2026 NBA/NHL Preliminary round. Note in general that the greater the number of games or series fitting a particular situation, the greater the significance of the corresponding winning fraction: For example, 0.800 is far more likely to come closer to the true winning fraction in a given situation when the corresponding win-loss record is 400-100 rather than 4-1.

HISTORICAL VICTORY PROBABILITIES: Leading LWWLW @ VVHHV:
Considering win order; considering site order: The team leading LWWLW with site order VVHHV (Montreal) has the following best-of-7 playoff series and games record through the 2026 NBA/NHL Preliminary round:
series record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 23-6 (.793)
series record, all best-of-7 sports, Quarterfinals round: 6-1 (.857)
series record, NHL only, all rounds: 19-2 (.905)
series record, NHL only, Quarterfinals round: 5-0 (1.000)
Game 6 record, all best-of-7 sports, all rounds: 17-12 (.586)
Game 6 record, all best-of-7 sports, Quarterfinals round: 4-3 (.571)
Game 6 record, NHL only, all rounds: 14-7 (.667)
Game 6 record, NHL only, Quarterfinals round: 3-2 (.600)
These records are drawn from the applicable 1632 best-of-7 NHL, NBA, and MLB series played through the 2026 NBA/NHL Preliminary round. Note in general that the greater the number of games or series fitting a particular situation, the greater the significance of the corresponding winning fraction: For example, 0.800 is far more likely to come closer to the true winning fraction in a given situation when the corresponding win-loss record is 400-100 rather than 4-1.

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 5: The Montreal Canadiens visited and defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-goals-3 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1625 lead of 3-games-2. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Montreal Canadiens have a series record of 28-3 (with an active six-series winning streak) and a Game 6 record of 21-10. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Buffalo Sabres have a series record of 1-14 (with an active four-series losing streak) and a Game 6 record of 5-10. Trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Buffalo Sabres won their sole series in series 724, over the Ottawa Senators in the 1997 NHL Preliminary round.

After Game 4: The Buffalo Sabres visited and bested the Montreal Canadiens 3-goals-2 to tie best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1625 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Buffalo Sabres have a series record of 4-11 and a Game 5 record of 5-10, while the Montreal Canadiens have a series record of 27-19 and a Game 5 record of 24-22. Montreal and Buffalo have been tied against each other 2-games-all in three previous best-of-7 NHL playoff series; Montreal won two of those three series.

After Game 3: The Montreal Canadiens hosted and bested the Buffalo Sabres 6-goals-2 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1625 lead of 2-games-1. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Montreal Canadiens have a series record of 40-11 and a Game 4 record of 18-33. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Buffalo Sabres have a series record of 0-14 and a Game 4 record of 8-6. Leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Montreal Canadiens have an active five-Game 4 losing streak, and have a 0-2 Game 4 record but a 2-0 series record against the Buffalo Sabres (in series 552 in the 1990 NHL Preliminary round, and in series 577 in the 1991 NHL Preliminary round).

After Game 2: The Montreal Canadiens visited and defeated the Buffalo Sabres 5-goals-1 to knot best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1625 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series, the Buffalo Sabres have a series record of 6-10 and a Game 3 record of 8-8, while the Montreal Canadiens have a series record of 25-19 and a Game 3 record of 28-16. With their series 1625 Game 2 loss, the Buffalo Sabres see their best-of-7 NHL playoff Game 2 losing streak extended to five consecutive Game 2s, irrespective of Game 1 outcome. Tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Buffalo Sabres sustained one of their series/Game 3 losses to the Montreal Canadiens in series 552, in the 1990 NHL Preliminary round.

After Game 1: The Buffalo Sabres hosted and bested the Montreal Canadiens 4-goals-2 to take a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1625 lead of 1-game-nil. When leading a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Buffalo Sabres have a series record of 15-11 and a Game 2 record of 11-15. When trailing a best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Montreal Canadiens have a series record of 17-33 and a Game 2 record of 25-25. With their series 1625 Game 1 victory, the Buffalo Sabres improve their Game 1 winning streak to four consecutive Game 1s in best-of-7 NHL playoff series.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2025-26 NHL regular season, the Buffalo Sabres finished three points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens. From 1939 through the 2026 NHL Preliminary round, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by three regular-season points, they have posted a best-of-7 playoff series record of 19-24 (.442) in those series against those opponents. Best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 1625 is the 42nd best-of-7 NHL playoff series for the Buffalo Sabres, and the 126th for the Montreal Canadiens. In best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Buffalo Sabres have an all-rounds series record of 16-25, a Quarterfinals-round series record of 6-9, and a Game 1 record of 26-15, while the Montreal Canadiens have an all-rounds series record of 81-44, a Quarterfinals-round series record of 17-13, and a Game 1 record of 75-50. Series 1625 is the seventh best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens. In their previous six best-of-7 NHL playoff series meetings, the Montreal Canadiens won four of those six series.