WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE BELL CENTRE
Fans can expect a mascot takeover as the Habs will host the fifth edition of their Mascot Party at the Bell Centre. Guest mascots include Sabretooth (Buffalo Sabres, NHL), Stinger (Columbus Blue Jackets, NHL), Bailey (Los Angeles Kings, NHL), Sparky (New York Islanders, NHL), Ellie the Elephant (New York Liberty, WNBA), and Viktor the Viking (Minnesota Vikings, NFL). They will be joined by Youppi! and METAL!, so be on the lookout for our larger-than-life friends!
TEAM COMPARISONS
Lane Hutson’s first NHL goal was one of the positives from a 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Saturday. The 20-year-old defenseman had been itching for his first Big League tally after going goalless through 29 games this season (while collecting 19 assists and breaking records, of course). Another positive was the team’s perseverance after the Jets scored three unanswered goals to go up 3-1, as Josh Anderson cut into Winnipeg’s lead in the third period. That said, the Canadiens will need to find a way to stay out of the penalty box moving forward after taking six against the best team and power play in the League, the latter of which produced two goals.
Even though the Sabres’ man advantage ranks 30th in the NHL, Buffalo is hungry for a win after dropping 10 straight. Their latest loss came against the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 5-3 at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday, even though Lindy Ruff’s men held a 3-1 advantage near the halfway mark of the second. During this trying time, Buffalo, which sits in seventh place in the Atlantic Division and one point ahead of the Canadiens, has been outscored 38 (excluding shootout goals) to 23. They’re without captain Rasmus Dahlin and Sam Lafferty, as the former sustained a back injury on December 3, while the latter has been out with a lower-body injury since November 29. On Monday, the Sabres loaned goaltender Devon Levi, a native of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC, to the AHL’s Rochester Americans. Levi, who has played eight games with Buffalo in 2024-25, replaced Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in a 7-5 loss to the Canadiens on November 11 at KeyBank Center. That game was the first of four matchups between both clubs this season, with Tuesday’s affair being the second.
BY THE NUMBERS: SABRES-CANADIENS
Here’s how the Sabres and Canadiens match up by the numbers:
