Morning Coffee: Canadiens, Sabres set for second round series nobody expected

The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs have been full of surprises.

None of them come close to the NHL Draft Lottery.

The Toronto Maple Leafs had an 8.5 per cent chance to land the first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

Less than 48 hours after John Chayka was introduced as the new general manager, the most polarizing franchise in the NHL won the lottery and reignited an optimism that Leafs Nation had been lacking since Toronto lost to the Florida Panthers in seven.

It’s the one thing that could make all the pain and suffering from the 2025-26 NHL season worth it.

Plan the parade.

Meanwhile, I had my eye on a former Maple Leaf last night as Nazem Kadri picked up an assist, registered four shots on goal, and helped me cash a couple of best bets as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2.

Nathan MacKinnon registered three points for the third straight game to tie Joe Sakic’s playoff franchise record.

The Avalanche dropped the hammer on the Wild to take a 2-0 series lead and improve to 6-0 this postseason.

Colorado looks like the best team in hockey by a mile.

We’ll see how a tired Minnesota team responds with three days off until Game 3 on Saturday night, but right now it’s hard to imagine they win four of the next five.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue tonight with three teams in action that nobody expected to be here this late in the season.

The Anaheim Ducks, which were a +520 long shot to make the playoffs at FanDuel, will attempt to bounce back in Game 2 of their second round series against the Vegas Golden Knights after a 3-1 loss in their opener.

Meanwhile, the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres both had longer odds to make than miss the postseason at FanDuel.

Now they’re set to go head-to-head with a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals on the line.

Let’s dive into that matchup and lock in a FanDuel Best Bet for Game 1 tonight in this Morning Coffee column for Wednesday May 6^th, 2026.

Canadiens, Sabres Set For Second Round Series Nobody Expected

For the first time since 2019, the battle to be called best from the Atlantic doesn’t feature a Florida-based team.

The Sabres started the season 11-14-4 and ultimately fired longtime general manager Kevyn Adams and replaced him with Jarmo Kekalainen in mid-December.

Buffalo went 39-9-5 from December 9^th on and won the Atlantic Division title with three more points than Montreal and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

While the Canadiens never went through the type of early season turmoil the Sabres overcame, they’ve also exceeded expectations as a club that was +156 to make the playoffs at FanDuel despite qualifying last season.

A third-place finish in the Atlantic Division left Montreal as the second-biggest underdog to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at +240 at FanDuel.

After stunning the Lightning in Game 7, the stage is set for a second round series that is considered too close to call by the FanDuel traders.

While this series opened as a pick’em (-110 both sides), we’ve since seen the odds swing from Canadiens -113 on Monday to Sabres -113 this morning at FanDuel.

Buffalo is a -130 favourite to win Game 1 on home ice.

The home teams are 3-0 in Game 1 in the second round.

The Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes both benefited from a rest advantage that would appear to be in favour of the Sabres in this series.

The Sabres haven’t played since they eliminated the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of their first round series on Friday night.

Meanwhile, the Canadiens have had two days to recover after going the distance with a Game 7 win over a much more physical opponent in Tampa Bay.

That could be the difference in the opener of a series that features two teams with several similarities.

For my FanDuel Best Bet, I’ll go with a builder Same Game Parlay that features Tage Thompson 3+ shots on goal, Rasmus Dahlin 2+ shots on goal, and Josh Doan 1+ shot on goal at -106 odds.

Jakub Dobes was excellent for Montreal in Round 1, particularly in Games 5, 6, and 7 when he made 38, 32, and 28 saves.

The Sabres have had plenty of time off and should be willing and eager to test Dobes early and often.

Thompson led Buffalo with 4.3 shots on goal per game on a team-high 8.5 attempts against the Bruins, clearing 3+ shots on goal in five of the six games.

Thompson 3+ shots on goal hit in three of four versus Montreal during the regular season.

Meanwhile, Dahlin 2+ shots on goal is 6-for-6 this postseason and went 3-for-4 against the Canadiens during the regular season.

Only Thompson had more shots on goal and attempts than Dahlin for Buffalo in Round 1.

Finally, Doan averaged 2.2 shots on goal on 4.8 attempts and registered at least one shot on goal in all six games against the Bruins.

With the rest advantage and home-ice advantage for Game 1, I expect the Sabres to try to test Dobes early.

Hopefully, Thompson, Dahlin, and Doan can hit their marks and give us another FanDuel Best Bet winner.

Have a great day, everyone!