Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, in the Atlantic Division)
Montreal, Quebec; Saturday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Canadiens -159, Sabres +134; over/under is 6.5
NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND: Canadiens lead series 3-2
BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens host the Buffalo Sabres in the second round of the NHL Playoffs with a 3-2 lead in the series. The teams meet Thursday for the 10th time this season. The Canadiens won the previous meeting 6-3.
Montreal has a 23-12-3 record in Atlantic Division games and a 48-24-10 record overall. The Canadiens have committed 350 total penalties (4.3 per game) to rank fourth in the league.
Buffalo is 50-23-9 overall with a 22-10-5 record in Atlantic Division games. The Sabres have committed 316 total penalties (3.9 per game) to rank ninth in league play.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nicholas Suzuki has scored 29 goals with 72 assists for the Canadiens. Lane Hutson has one goal and nine assists over the last 10 games.
Rasmus Dahlin has 19 goals and 55 assists for the Sabres. Zachary Benson has scored four goals and added three assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 6-3-1, averaging 3.1 goals, 5.4 assists, 5.7 penalties and 14.8 penalty minutes while giving up 2.2 goals per game.
Sabres: 5-4-1, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.8 assists, 5.9 penalties and 16.3 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
INJURIES: Canadiens: Patrik Laine: out (abdomen).
Sabres: Noah Ostlund: out (lower body), Jiri Kulich: out for season (ear), Justin Danforth: out for season (kneecap).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
