It’s been a while since the Buffalo Sabres have been in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It’s been a long while since the Sabres moved on to the second round. And it’s been an even longer while since the Sabres met the Montreal Canadiens in the postseason.
The Canadiens’ 2-1 victory on Sunday night secured a “dream matchup,” as Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic called it.
And he’s right. The history behind these two clubs, along with the overall skill level on both sides this year, ensures this playoff series will be one to remember.
So, let’s look back at the previous occasions in which the Sabres and Canadiens squared off in the NHL playoffs.
Looking back at Sabres-Canadiens playoff history
The Sabres and the Canadiens have met seven times in the NHL playoffs. As such, the 2026 showdown will mark the eighth time these two clubs have crossed paths in the playoffs.
1972-73
The Sabres entered the league in 1970. However, they didn’t make the playoffs until their third season. In the 1973 playoffs, the Sabres ran into a powerhouse Canadiens squad featuring 12 future Hall of Famers.
Buffalo hung tough, winning two in a row after falling behind 3-0. Montreal took the series 4-2 en route to their 18th Stanley Cup.
1974-75
Two seasons later, the Sabres were back at it again. This time, the story was much different. Buffalo ousted the Canadiens in the second round as part of the old Adams Division playoff bracket.
The season saw the Sabres go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Broad Street Bullies, the Philadelphia Flyers, in six games.
1982-83
The next time the Sabres and Habs met was in the first round of a short-lived five-game series format the NHL ran with in the 1980s. That postseason, the Sabres swept the Canadiens in three games. Buffalo’s season would end in the second round against the Boston Bruins.
1989-90, 1990-91, 1992-93
The Sabres and Canadiens would meet three times in the next four seasons. Two of the three meetings happened in the first round, with the 1993 series taking place in the second round.
The Habs won all three series, particularly the 1993 showdown being a four-game sweep. Montreal won the Stanley Cup that year, marking the last time a Canadian squad won the Cup.
1997-98
The last time Montreal and Buffalo crossed paths in the NHL playoffs was in 1998. That season, the outcome was completely different. The Sabres, led by Dominik Hasek, ousted the Habs in four straight. Hasek single-handedly won Games 1 and 3.
That matchup was, again, a second-round series. The Sabres made it to the Eastern Conference Final, falling to the Washington Capitals in six.
That last series in particular could be an interesting repeat of history. The Sabres and Canadiens once again meet in the second round. As such, Buffalo could be looking to advance with the next opponent being either the Philadelphia Flyers or the Carolina Hurricanes.
The puck will drop on Wednesday night in Game 1. Canadiens fans will be looking to get revenge for the last postseason meeting between these two clubs. But history doesn’t quite seem on the Canadiens’ side this time.
Buffalo is just too good and too inspired to let the Habs walk over them.
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