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The Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres have traded victories in the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and one will look to get the upper hand in their Stanley Cup Playoffs series Sunday. In the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights took the series lead emphatically with a 6-2 victory in Game 3. They will need to win in Anaheim on Sunday if they want to take real control of the series. Montreal is a -125 money-line favorite at home Sunday, while the latest NHL Playoffs odds list Vegas as a slight -118 road favorite. 

The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NHL game 10,000 times, has locked in its NHL picks and best bets for Sabres vs. Canadiens and Golden Knights vs. Ducks on Sunday night. The model entered the second round of the 2026 NHL playoffs with a +668 return on top-rated money-line NHL picks. Anyone following its NHL betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.   

One series is tied, and the Ducks are hoping their series is as well after Sunday night, and both games offer plenty of NHL betting opportunities Sunday. They include spread betting, Over/Under bets, money line betting and player prop betting. Bettors can also combine multiple picks into a parlay bet for Sunday's games.

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NHL Playoffs picks for Sunday, May 10

  • Sabres money line
  • Ducks money line
  • Golden Knights vs. Ducks Under 6.5

Sabres money line

The Canadiens haven't won consecutive games in these playoffs, and the SportsLine model sees that trend continuing Sunday. The Sabres won the first game 4-2, then lost 5-1 in Game 2 despite a 29-28 edge in shots and posting 44 hits to Montreal's 18. Buffalo has won three of the past five meetings with the Habs and is winning in 59% of the SportsLine model's simulations as a slight plus-money underdog. That's good for a 'B' grade from the model. 

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Ducks money line

The Ducks will be motivated as they return home off a 6-2 loss, and the numbers from Game 3 don't look like the stats from a blowout. The Ducks outshot the Knights 33-28 and roughed them up quite a bit, posting 53 hits to just 23 for Vegas. They'll try to make this another physical one, and the model likes their chances to tie this series up. Anaheim is winning in 54% of the SportsLine model simulations, good for a 'B' grade. 

Golden Knights vs. Ducks Under 6.5

The model has this one coming in just Under the total, and the first two games went Under this number before the Golden Knights' breakout in Game 3. Both teams have gone Under in six of their past 10 games, and Vegas has been a pretty strong Under team all season, going 43-46-2 to the Under, while Anaheim is 54-37 O/U. Under 6.5 goals is hitting almost 52% of the time in the SportsLine model's simulations. 

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