Update (11:07 a.m. ET, Tuesday): The probable goaltending matchup for Tuesday’s Sabres vs Canadiens game has changed. Jacob Fowler is now projected as Montreal’s starter in place of Jakub Dobes, while Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen remains the probable starter for Buffalo.
The Buffalo Sabres visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday at Bell Centre, with puck drop set for 6:30 p.m. ET. This Sabres vs Canadiens preview looks at a matchup between two Atlantic Division teams trying to find consistency early in the 2026-27 season, with Buffalo sitting at 3-3-0 and Montreal at 2-2-1. Montreal eliminated Buffalo from the playoffs last season, and the two clubs are set to play twice this week, giving Tuesday’s opener added weight for both rosters.
Sabres Vs Canadiens Game Information
- Date: Tuesday, Oct. 13
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
- TV/Streaming: ESPN+, MSGB
How Have Both Teams Played Entering Tuesday?
Buffalo enters having split its last two games, beating the Florida Panthers 5-3 on Oct. 12 after a 4-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth on Oct. 10. The Sabres also dropped a 4-0 decision to the Dallas Stars on Oct. 8 sandwiched between overtime and regulation wins over the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks. That uneven stretch has Buffalo at 6 points in the Atlantic Division standings, tied for fifth with Toronto on points but trailing on record.
Montreal has been just as streaky. The Canadiens dropped three straight before snapping the skid with a 1-0 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings on Oct. 10, a stretch that included a 6-4 loss to Carolina and a 5-2 loss to Nashville. Montreal’s five points leave it last in the division standings provided, though the shootout win offers a building block heading into the two-game set with Buffalo.
Who Is Expected To Start In Net?
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is projected as the probable starting goalie for Buffalo, while Jacob Fowler is now listed as Montreal’s probable starter, replacing the previously projected Jakub Dobes. Both designations remain projections and are not confirmed until the lineups are finalized.
Fowler, 21, made his first start of the season on Oct. 8 against Nashville after being recalled from Laval of the American Hockey League, according to NHL.com. He finished last season with a 9-6-2 record, a 2.43 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 17 games with Montreal. The move to Fowler follows an injury to backup Samuel Montembeault, who remains on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and a projected return date of Oct. 20.
Montembeault was hurt at practice before the Oct. 8 Nashville game, and Canadiens forward Cole Caufield addressed the injury afterward. “You never want to see anybody go down with an injury, and especially a guy like that, that’s worked to get his game back and looked pretty good. So hopefully it’s not too long and we can get him back up here,” Caufield said, according to NHL.com.
What Does The Injury Report Look Like For Both Teams?
Buffalo is managing a thin blue line and crease. Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin is out with an upper-body injury and a projected return date of Oct. 15, while backup goaltender Alex Lyon remains on injured reserve with an upper-body issue tied to an Oct. 24 return. Forward Jason Zucker is on injured reserve recovering from abdomen surgery, and defenseman Conor Timmins is out with a lower-body injury. Both Zucker and Timmins carry an Oct. 15 projected return date, and goaltending prospect Topias Leinonen is also on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
Montreal’s injury list is deeper. Forward Florian Xhekaj is listed day-to-day with an undisclosed injury after sitting out the Oct. 10 game against Detroit; his status for Tuesday had not been confirmed. Winger Ivan Demidov remains on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and a return date of Oct. 31, while center Oliver Kapanen (lower body) is also on injured reserve with a projected Oct. 14 return.
Which Matchup Could Decide The Game?
Tage Thompson leads Buffalo with 4 goals and 7 points through six games, and his production against a Montreal defense that has allowed 19 goals and carries an .884 save percentage on the season will be a central thread now that Fowler is projected to get the start. Owen Power leads the Sabres with 6 assists, giving Buffalo’s attack multiple ways to create offense through its blue line.
Montreal counters with captain Nick Suzuki, who paces the Canadiens with 3 goals, 4 assists and 7 points. Suzuki’s ability to produce against a Buffalo team that has scored 16 goals as a group this season, more than Montreal’s 14, will matter in a game between two offenses still searching for consistency.
What To Watch
Montreal carries a 3.80 goals-against average this season compared to Buffalo’s 3.67, and neither power play has found much traction. The Canadiens have converted just 1 power-play goal on the season with 2 assists, while Buffalo has scored 3 power-play goals with 5 assists. With Fowler now the projected option in net for Montreal rather than Dobes, special teams efficiency and the Sabres’ top scorers could be an early test for the rookie netminder in a tight, low-scoring environment.
The game also opens a stretch in which Montreal and Buffalo meet twice in the same week, adding context to how each team manages its injury list and goaltending workload. Buffalo was last in action Oct. 12 against the Florida Panthers, while Montreal’s win over Detroit on Oct. 10 snapped a three-game losing streak heading into the home set with the Sabres.
Additional reporting via NHL.com and FOX Sports.
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