The Buffalo Sabres’ 2025-26 season was largely a major success, as the Sabres finished first in the Atlantic Division, then beat the Boston Bruins in their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series. However, the Sabres lost to the Montreal Canadiens in the second round. Still, Buffalo ended their decade-and-a-half playoff drought, and that was a huge relief for long-suffering Sabres fans.

Meanwhile, for the second straight year here at TheHockeyNews.com, we're analyzing the Sabres’ Eastern Conference opponents in an online series titled “Know Your Enemy”. And in this particular file in the series, we’re breaking down that Canadiens team.

The Habs didn’t make many moves this summer, but they’ve been expertly-constructed by GM Kent Hughes, and if the Sabres are to improve in 2026-27, they’ll need to go through the Canadiens.

BUFFALO SABRES VS. MONTREAL CANADIENS

NEW CANADIENS PLAYERS: Brett Berard (LW), Sasha Pastujov (LW)

2025-26 SERIES: Sabres 2-2-0, Canadiens 2-2-0

2026-27 GAMES AGAINST EACH OTHER: October 13, at Montreal; October 17 at Montreal; December 18 at Buffalo; January 18 at Buffalo

CAN THE SABRES BEAT THIS TEAM? The Sabres will take on the Canadiens in Montreal in Buffalo’s seventh game of the regular-season – and in a quirk of the schedule, the Sabres will play the Habs four days later, again in Montreal. That should get the two teams plenty-accustomed to one another, and from that point, Buffalo will host the Canadiens twice in a one-month period that ends in mid-January.

The Sabres and Canadiens split their series last season, with both teams winning twice in regulation. And if we’re being honest, we can see that same type of result taking place in 2026-27. Montreal hasn’t made any material changes to their roster, but Hughes has done a masterful job of putting the Habs together, and the Sabres will have to be at their best to even have a chance of beating the Canadiens this coming year.

The Canadiens sent Buffalo home for the summer this past spring, and to avoid that fate in ‘26-27, the Sabres will need to be better than Montreal in the goaltending department, and there’s obviously no guarantee that will take place. But Buffalo has lost key pieces Alex Tuch and Bowen Byram, and unless the Sabres get internal improvement from their young players, beating the Habs will require a huge step forward for Buffalo.

Can the Sabres turn the tables on Montreal this year? Yes, there’s definitely a chance they can do so. However, if the Canadiens wind up dumping Buffalo for the second straight season, you have to think Sabres GM Jarmo Kekalainen will be much more active on the trade and free-agency fronts next summer.

There’s lots to like about both Buffalo and the Habs, but one of those teams will be seriously disappointed by an early exit in the 2027 playoffs.

And unless the Sabres can avoid doing so, getting eliminated by Montreal for the second straight season will almost assuredly lead to Buffalo’s roster being thoroughly overhauled for the 2027-28 campaign.

Brett Berard

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