Preview: Habs Look to Clinch Playoff Berth vs Sabres
Today the Montreal Canadiens play a very important game as they take-on the Sabres in Buffalo.
With a win tonight, Montreal will clinch a playoff spot. Meanwhile, Buffalo is 11th in the east and 6 points out of a playoff spot with 8 games left on there schedule.
The last meeting between these two teams was on March 23rd when the Sabres picked up a 2-1 win in Montreal.
Here is a look at player stats, game notes and more, for tonight’s match-up:
Team Records: Canadiens – 2nd in East (25-9-5, 55 points) vs Sabres – 11th in East (16-18-6, 38 points)
Season Series:
| Date | Score | Game Winner |
| Apr 11 ’13 | TONIGHT | |
| Mar 23 ’13 | BUF 2 at MTL 1 | T. Vanek |
| Mar 19 ’13 | BUF 3 at MTL 2 – OT | S. Ott |
| Feb 07 ’13 | MTL 4 at BUF 5 – SO | J. Pominville |
| Feb 02 ’13 | BUF 1 at MTL 6 | B. Gallagher |
*Winners of each game are in Bold.
Game Notes:
– Canadiens can clinch a playoff spot with a win.
– Buffalo has won 3 of the 4 meetings between the two this season.
– Peter Budaj will be between the pipes for MTL tonight.
– It’s unclear on who will get the start for Buffalo.
Leading Scorers:
Montreal
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW |
| M. Ryder | 38 | 16 | 16 | 32 | +4 | 14 | 8 | 5 |
| P. Subban | 33 | 10 | 22 | 32 | +12 | 26 | 6 | 0 |
| M. Pacioretty | 35 | 11 | 19 | 30 | +6 | 22 | 2 | 0 |
Buffalo
| Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | GW |
| T. Vanek | 30 | 16 | 17 | 33 | +1 | 18 | 7 | 2 |
| C. Hodgson | 40 | 13 | 17 | 30 | +1 | 20 | 1 | 1 |
| T. Ennis | 39 | 9 | 17 | 26 | -9 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
Goaltenders:
Montreal
Buffalo