Buffalo Sabres vs Montréal Canadiens Head-to-Head

Buffalo Sabres
Montréal Canadiens
Sabres lead Canadiens154to153·31 ties

A virtually even rivalry in 338 all-time meetings.

ByVerified

At a glance

Buffalo Sabres vs Montréal Canadiens insights

The edge
+1wins for Sabres
46% Sabres · 45% Canadiens · 9% ties

The series has stayed roughly even across eras: 50-49 since 2005.

Recent form
8-12last 20

Canadiens won 4-2 on Jan 31, 2026

Where it matters
35Stanley Cup Playoffs games

35 playoff games between these franchises.

The story

Sabres built their historical edge pre-2005, winning 104 of 208 decided meetings (50%) (plus 31 ties). In the shootout era they are 50-49 against each other (51% Sabres). 31 of their 338 meetings ended in ties, all from the pre-2005 regulation-tie era. Postseason history is deep: 35 playoff games between the two franchises. Games average a 2.2-goal margin, with the largest blowout coming via Canadiens' 9-goal win. Across the last 20 decided meetings Canadiens hold a 12-8 edge, suggesting the modern balance leans their way. The 1990s produced the deepest sample with 78 recorded meetings, more than any other decade in the series. Their first recorded meeting fell in 1970, so the rivalry has spanned 56 seasons of NHL history. Most recent result: Canadiens won 4-2 on Jan 31, 2026. Through the 2020s Canadiens have led 12-8 between the teams.

Win Percentage
154W
31T
153W
BUF
T
MTL
46%9%45%
Buffalo SabresTiesMontréal Canadiens

Recent Games

Last 10 Games
DateHomeAwayScoreResult
Jan 31, 2026BUFMTL24MTL
Jan 22, 2026MTLBUF24BUF
Jan 15, 2026BUFMTL53BUF
Oct 20, 2025MTLBUF42MTL
Mar 3, 2025MTLBUF43MTL
Mar 1, 2025BUFMTL24MTL
Dec 17, 2024MTLBUF61MTL
Nov 11, 2024BUFMTL57MTL
Feb 21, 2024MTLBUF23BUF
Jan 4, 2024MTLBUF16BUF
Last Meeting
Jan 31, 2026Final
BUF
2
HOME
MTL
4
AWAY
Canadienswon by2goals
Snapped Sabres' streak·Game 338 of all-time series

All-Time Record

Season Split & Biggest Wins
Regular season vs Stanley Cup Playoffs record, plus each team's largest margin of victory
Regular Season303 games · 31 ties
137
135
Stanley Cup Playoffs35 games
17
18
Buffalo Sabres Biggest Win
60+6 goals
Oct 16, 1985
Montréal Canadiens Biggest Win
112+9 goals
Nov 7, 1970
Decade Breakdown
Click a decade to filter stats below
Season by Season
Season BUF MTL Games
202526224
202425044
202324224
202223123
202122314
201920112
201819314
201718044
201617224
201516235

Matchup Insights

Home / Away Split
87-63BUF HOME90-67MTL HOME
AWAY
67-90
BUF
AWAY
63-87
MTL
Streaks & Momentum
Current Streak
Montréal Canadiens: 1 consecutive win
1
Avg. Margin of Victory
Games decided by 2.2 goals on average
2.2goals
Momentum (Last 10 vs All-Time)
BUFTrending Down
Last 1040%
All-Time50.2%
MTLTrending Up
Last 1060%
All-Time49.8%
Last 10 Results
BUF / MTL

Frequently Asked Questions: Buffalo Sabres vs Montréal Canadiens

Methodology & Data Sources

Last updated

Every head-to-head page on SharkBetting is built from verified historical data, not generated prose. Regular-season and playoff game logs for the NHL are pulled from the official NHL api-web data service (coverage from 1917 onward). Coach matchups, arena history, and franchise lineage are cross-checked against hockey-reference.com. Award winners (Hart, Norris, Vezina, Conn Smythe) are sourced from league records and filtered to each franchise including historic relocations.

Stats are refreshed after every completed game day. If you spot an error, head to our contact page with the game date and we will verify against the source feeds.

Buffalo Sabres and Montréal Canadiens have played in the NHL since 1970.