TEAM COMPARISONS
The Canadiens are heating up. The Sabres are already on fire. That’s the contrast heading into Saturday night.
Montreal has steadied itself with back-to-back wins over two Western Conference heavyweights in Vegas and Colorado, reestablishing momentum just before a three-game road trip that leads into the Olympic break. Entering the weekend tied with Buffalo and Boston in the standings, the importance of these two points can’t be overstated.
Buffalo, meanwhile, has been setting the standard across the League. The Sabres are 20-3-1 over their last 24 games, a surge that’s propelled them up the Atlantic Division standings and into third place. After a brief two-game stumble, Lindy Ruff’s group has responded in a big way, rattling off five straight wins ahead of Saturday’s clash at KeyBank Center.
SEASON SERIES
Oct. 20 vs. BUF: 4-2 MTL
Jan. 15. @ BUF: 5-3 BUF
Jan. 22 vs. BUF: 4-2 BUF
Jan. 31 @ BUF:
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
Nick Suzuki is heating up at the perfect time for Team Canada. The Canadiens captain has piled up 12 points over his last seven games, highlighted by five multi-point performances.
At the other end, Alex Lyon has been nothing short of spectacular. On Thursday, he set a franchise record with 10 straight wins in goal, posting a .933 save percentage and a 1.94 goals-against average during that run. All signs point to the Minnesota native getting the nod once again when Buffalo hosts Montreal on Saturday.
BY THE NUMBERS: HABS-SABRES
Here’s how the Canadiens and Sabres match up by the numbers:
