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Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson has upped his shooting aggression throughout the playoffs.

My Canadiens vs. Sabres predictions expect that trend to continue in tonight's winner-take-all Game 7 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Let's take a closer look at my NHL picks for Monday, May 18, and don't miss puck drop at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Canadiens vs Sabres Game 7 prediction

Who will win Canadiens vs Sabres Game 7?

Canadiens: The Canadiens have shown great resilience during the playoffs, following up each loss with a win. I expect them to quickly flush Game 6. They hold the expected goals edge in this series – albeit not by much – and Jakub Dobes has been more consistent than Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen, making him a little more trustworthy in this do-or-die affair.

Canadiens vs Sabres best bet: Lane Hutson Over 1.5 shots (-115)

Lane Hutson has ramped up his shot volume significantly during the playoffs. He has averaged 5.8 attempts per game, well above his season average of 3.7.

It’s not one or two big games propping up his numbers. He attempted at least four shots in 11 of 13 games thus far.

He cleared 1.5 shots in 72% of his games this year when generating at least four attempts.

Hutson is being spoon-fed offensive zone starts and will see as much ice as he can handle in an elimination game, setting him up to fire away.

Canadiens vs Sabres Game 7 same-game parlay

It took a while to get going, but Cole Caufield is firing on all cylinders now. He has scored in three of his past four games and leads the team in scoring chances with 22.

Few players can fill the net like No. 13 when he's on, and the Sabres have gotten very inconsistent goaltending.

Speaking of goaltending: That's one big reason I like the Montreal Canadiens to steal the series. Jakub Dobes ranks second among playoff netminders in Goals Saved Above Expected and is more likely to provide stable play between the pipes tonight.

Canadiens vs Sabres SGP

• Lane Hutson Over 1.5 shots
• Cole Caufield anytime goal
• Canadiens moneyline

Bonus SGP for Canadiens vs Sabres Game 7

Alex Newhook has been a constant headache for the Buffalo Sabres. He leads the Habs in shots on goal and scoring chances at 5-on-5, and we’re unlikely to see much special teams play in a Game 7. 

That makes even-strength play even more important, and Newhook has consistently made an impact in that state.

Kaiden Guhle blocked multiple shots in five of his last six road games, including all three against Buffalo. He combined for 10 blocks in Buffalo, and will be relied upon to lead the charge defensively in Game 7.

Bonus Canadiens vs Sabres SGP

• Lane Hutson Over 1.5 shots
• Alex Newhook Over 1.5 shots
• Kaiden Guhle Over 1.5 blocked shots

Canadiens vs Sabres anytime goal scorer

Caufield is one of the league's most efficient shooters and is averaging 6.2 shot attempts over his past five games. The 50-goal scorer will cause problems for Buffalo's Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen, who had been leaky at times — and ranks last among remaining goalies in Goals Saved Above Expected during the playoffs. 

Bonus AGS pick for Canadiens vs Sabres Game 7

Alex Tuch (+210)

Who doesn't love more extra picks! Alex Tuch leads the Sabres in shot attempts (38), shots on target (21), and scoring chances (20), yet has not hit the scoresheet, let alone found the back of the net.

He is constantly knocking on the door and playing more minutes than any other forward on the roster. He’ll have every opportunity to break through tonight.

Canadiens vs Sabres odds for Game 7

• Moneyline: Montreal +100 | Buffalo -120
• Puck Line: Montreal +1.5 (-260) | Buffalo -1.5 (+205)
• Over/Under: Over 5.5 (-110) | Under 5.5 (-110)

Canadiens vs Sabres trend

The Canadiens have hit the moneyline in 14 of their last 20 away games (+8.6 units, 37% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Canadiens vs. Sabres.

How to watch Canadiens vs Sabres Game 7

Canadiens vs Sabres latest injuries

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In a season filled with learning experiences, the Senators saw firsthand how finding the right backup goalie can be a game-changer.

When Ottawa signed veteran goaltender James Reimer as a free agent four months ago, the move barely registered across the NHL. The Senators were tied for last in the East, so seeing them bring in Canada's Spengler Cup goalie was like watching someone rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic.

Reimer came in from the bullpen to replace Leevi Merilainen, who, despite his heroics in a small sample size last year, showed he wasn't ready for full-time NHL duty just yet. While Merilainen was sent to Belleville for the rest of the season, Reimer was viewed as experienced depth, a stopgap measure, and not much more.

But that was exactly what the Senators needed.

Linus Ullmark carried the mail down the stretch, and he and the Senators turned the season around, but Reimer was one of the stabilizing forces behind it.

When GM Steve Staios held his season-ending news conference, he admitted that he didn't support Ullmark well enough to start the season. 

"When I talk about making decisions to help this team move forward, the one where we didn't do a good job was on the backup position initially," Staios said. "And we still believe in Leevi in saying this."

Staios' goaltending plans were maybe overly optimistic because he was asking both of his chosen goalies to go out and do something they've never done. For the kid, Merilainen, it was asking a 23-year-old to be a full-time NHL backup for the first time, playing behind a veteran who's never had a season where he hit the 50-game mark in NHL games played.

For Ullmark, it was asking him to bump up his games-played count. And based on his usage in the first three months of this season, they had him on a pace to start over 60 games.

The success of each plan was directly tied to the other, and neither worked out particularly well.

Now, as the Senators once again search for support behind Ullmark, it’s fair to ask an obvious question:

Why not just bring Reimer back?

When you go searching for UFA goalies whose production and contract demands might make them attractive as Ullmark's understudy, you start to realize that the list of realistic options isn't very long. 

Meanwhile, we know the Reimer experiment works. He gave the Senators exactly what they needed this season. In 14 appearances with Ottawa, he posted a tidy 2.42 goals-against average. More importantly, he gave the team competent, calming goaltending on nights when Ullmark needed rest.

There wasn't a single night where Reimer looked overmatched or played at a level that didn't give the Senators a chance to win, and that trickled down to boost team confidence. Reimer upgraded the backup position and helped to upgrade Ullmark as well.

And unlike many of the other free-agent options, there’s very little mystery about the fit here.

At 38, Reimer understands the role. He’s a pro, a happy, positive teammate, who's not coming in looking to challenge Ullmark for the crease or create controversy about starts. 

There’s also the financial reality.

Some of the bigger names on the market will command significantly more money, even in backup roles, and even though the cap is going up, the Senators aren't expected to spend to the absolute max. With new contracts looming and other roster needs to address, overpaying for a backup goalie when the starter is already north of $8 million isn't high on their wish list.

Reimer would be signable at nearly league minimum.

If Ottawa simply needs reliable goaltending for 30 games behind Ullmark, are they really guaranteed to get better results from anyone on the free agent market that's reasonably priced and willing to sign here?

That’s debatable.

Meanwhile, Ullmark appeared comfortable working alongside Reimer, and the Senators finally found some rhythm this season. So maybe they shouldn't overthink this.

In a city famed for being a goalie graveyard, when you finally find something that worked, maybe don't pick at it.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News

This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:  

Our One-On-One With Senators Winger Drake Batherson
Senators Defenseman Goes From 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs To Signing In Switzerland
Rasmus Ristolainen: A Deeper Look Into A Potential Senators Trade Target
What’s The Plan For Senators UFA Lars Eller?
Archive: The Year Erik Karlsson Became Ottawa's First Norris Trophy Winner At 22

Good afternoon, Devils fans and hockey fans, and welcome to another All About the Jersey draft profile. Today, we are going to look at someone who might fly under the radar a bit. Coming out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, but hailing from Tyumen, Russia is Yegor Shilov, a 6’1” and 180+ pound left-shooting center. From Elite Prospects, you can see his production history below.

I am always interested by any European player who dominates their local junior leagues and then flies all the way to the United States or Canada to play North American hockey as a teenager. And for what it’s worth, Shilov had a good offensive season in the United States at 16 and 17 years old in 2024-25. The USHL, as a league massively rising in quality of play over the last five or ten years, is a good offensive litmus test for forwards, and we are starting to see more Russians and Belarusians testing their hands there. Ilya Protas of the Washington Capitals played for Des Moines in 2023-24 at age 17, scoring 51 points in 61 games before tearing the OHL apart in 2024-25 at age 18. Looking back, it’s kind of baffling Protas made it to the third round in 2024.

I do think it’s interesting that Shilov decided to go to the QMJHL from there, which is a path less trodden among top prospects over the last few years, but he had a good season there as well. Among recent Devils draft picks, Matyas Melovsky went through the Q, but he didn’t hit 80 points until his age-20 season, when he had 26 goals and 57 assists after being drafted as an overager by the Devils. Melovsky, of course, went on to score 26 points in 55 AHL games this season, and he now has an assist through two Worlds games for Team Czechia.

But Shilov is only 18: he broke 30 goals and 80 points in Quebec at just 17 years old, turning 18 on April 30 of this year. Production-wise, he is about three years ahead of a guy like Melovsky, who is now decently well-regarded as a possible fourth line center in 2026 or 2027. Above, you can see that Shilov is committed to playing for Penn State in 2027-28, but I think it would be best if he tried to find a college commitment before then. He’s off to a great start, but the NCAA would be a logical step for someone who has already hit elite production in a league like the Q.

Where is Shilov Ranked?

Elite Prospects lists Shilov ranked as such:

• 19th by TSN (Button)
• 19th by NHL Central Scouting (North American Skaters)
• 23rd by Elite Prospects
• 24th by Smaht Scouting
• 25th by Dobber Prospects
• 25th by Draft Prospects Hockey
• 27th by Sportsnet (Cosentino)
• 30th by Daily Faceoff
• 32nd by The Hockey News (Kennedy)
• 40th by McKeen’s Hockey
• 49th by The Hockey News (Ferrari)

Additionally, Shilov rates out as a late-first quality producer by Byron Bader’s NHLe model, though he is even with Viggo Bjorck in NHL and star probability. This is an area where playing in a better league would help Shilov in production models, though I think scoring 82 points in the QMJHL at just 17 years old as a Russian-born player is pretty noteworthy.

I will note here, per Bader’s linked tool explanation, is that NHLe is tracked to estimate the average season a player would have if they were immediately dropped into the NHL. So, a player coming off 33 goals and 82 points in the QMJHL this season would be expected to score about 28 points next season. This type of prediction worked to near perfection for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who nabbed Benjamin Kindel at 11th overall last year with a 37 NHLe in the 2024-25 season, as he scored 35 points in 77 games for Pittsburgh as an 18-year old rookie this year. In short: players with NHLes like this often become viable NHLers sooner than you think, though Shilov probably has a year or two of seasoning to do.

What Others Have to Say About Shilov

From Alessandro R. at The Hockey Writers:

Shilov’s skills are enough to hear his name in the first day of selections. He’s expected to be picked in the first round, but his lack of speed and relative mono-dimensional play are very likely to cause him to fall to around the 25-30 range despite his excellent passing, shooting, and puck-handling abilities.

From Sam Cosentino’s February rankings at Sportsnet:

One of the most dynamic power play producers in this draft class, Shilov is slippery holding pucks along the wall. He darts away from defenders at the last second…There is some frustration watching his game in that maximum effort isn’t always present, but he’s inspired with the puck on his stick and is a threat every time he possesses it.

From Austin Garrett at Smaht Scouting

Yegor Shilov is one of the most skilled centers in North America whose game is defined by elite puck feel and creative vision, but whose overall impact is limited by pace and engagement away from the puck. With possession, he’s among the most talented players in the class, manipulating defenders with ease, slipping pucks through traffic, and distributing the puck with imagination and precision. He defends more by anticipation than confrontation, playing with a deep, read-and-react posture that allows him to pick off lanes and disrupt plays with an active stick rather than physical pressure.

Shilov’s Video

I am wary of those who knock prospects for skating ability and compete level. It’s something that I generally have to see for myself, because sometimes evaluators can overvalue apparent effort over genuine skill and hockey IQ. Seeing that Shilov is praised for his quickness along the boards and heavily criticized for his 200-foot speed is also something that tells me this could be a prospect who is either still physically developing or has just not had the time to perfect his straight-line skating. But, we’ll look at the video.

What I notice early in this video is that Shilov is not really used defensively like an aggressive center. As Garrett noted for Smaht Scouting, he’s more positioned to be anticipatory. However, he does seem to try making a point of finishing his checks to start the game (even if he does so uncomfortably), so I can imagine that his coaches were encouraging him to make some changes there. On his second shift, he comes out right to a point shooter and blocks a shot wide with his stick, so I lean towards thinking Shilov tries to lean on his smarts and reads early on. He gets right in perfect position to facilitate transition up the boards, and he does not burn the opposition but manages to stay ahead long enough to send a backhand centering feed that is redirected wide. He is also able to anticipate the backchecker and quickly shows the awareness and ability to protect the puck with someone on his back.

By his third shift, I’m wondering what the problem with this guy is. He takes the puck up ice and flips after hitting the red line with four opponents to beat. He hits the burners around a defender at the blueline for a moment, just enough to be first to his flip in the corner after going around another opponent trying to slow him down. He wins the board battle under pressure by a larger player, moves the puck to his teammate, and cycles around the point to allow an activation before rejoining the play at the boards.

On the power play, Shilov scores a goal cutting from the slot to the hashmarks of the faceoff circle right off the opening draw play. He got a pass and absolutely ripped it to the far corner, an impressive shot at such short range. The goalie had no chance with the speed of his release and the placement of the shot.

Stop me if you’ve ever heard someone described like this before. Shilov was cycling around the offensive zone after a shot from his teammate was blocked. He circled around the faceoff dot and high slot waiting for a pass, but it didn’t come to him despite a big passing lane until he was near the puck carrier. After Shilov got it, he switched with his teammate at the left point, stickhandling towards the blueline until he came back into a turn towards the net. Taking the middle of the ice and the other team off guard, creating a three-man screen in front of the goalie, Shilov cut left at the last moment and roofed another goal to the far corner around the screen. Once he got the goalie moving, he took his spot and hit it.

While Shilov plays the entire second period without any issues, he does end up on the ice for a goal against in the third. He chased a puck carrier up to the point and was slightly picked, but he doesn’t come back in time to get back in the passing lane. His teammate drops to one knee rather than cover the netfront man he was on, and his team goes down 5-3 here.

Back on the power play later in the period, Shilov gets back to take the puck away in the neutral zone after his team lost possession, but he does not get a chance to make a play in the offensive zone. Late in the game, Shilov threads a perfect pass at the blueline with four opponents in the area, springing his teammate on a quick breakaway. The Armada goalie made the save, but Shilov easily could have had an assist here.

For more highlights, see the following video from HSD prospects:

My Thoughts

I think that the online scouts have it right that Shilov needs to work on his skating, but I do not think it is that dire. He can certainly gain another step, but if skating is a player’s biggest weakness going into the Draft, it’s an issue that can be overcome far easier than others. Besides, it seems like Shilov is a pretty agile skater, and he is still able to consistently beat defenders despite a lack of obvious speed because of his skill and agility.

An issue players tend not to get that much better at is making reads and anticipating plays. Shilov has those down, it seems. Shilov is also apparently a skilled passer and is certifiably a talented goal scorer. He also has a certain offensive element to his attack that I do not think we see from any Devil other than Jack Hughes. He’s incredibly cerebral with the puck. He’s looking for weaknesses and openings, and he is capable of taking advantage with quick cuts and a fast release of an accurate, quick-rising shot.

That’s one reason I became interested in Shilov in the first place. He is ranked lower than the Devils are set to pick, though he is a fall candidate as a Russian-born skilled forward without obvious physical tools. There is a chance he is available early in the second round. Of course, the Devils could always end up later in the first round if they make any trades leading up to the NHL Draft in June, such as any involving pick swaps or a pure trade down move on Draft Day. But I am not convinced that Shilov is such a worse prospect than some of the guys being pushed in that 10-15 range, anyway. His skill level is visibly much greater than that of his teammates when he has the puck, and I think he has the hockey IQ to play at a high level in the NHL.

A player like Shilov makes a ton of sense for the Devils, given that. We have all seen the Hughes-less swoons of the New Jersey Devils, when the team cannot score a goal to save their lives in the absence of their best offensive threat. We have also been watching a franchise that has repeatedly struggled to formulate a third line that has stayed a consistent, high-level offensive threat. The Devils are starting to get there now with Arseny Gritsyuk, but only until coaches realize that he should be getting paired with top six players every night. A player like Shilov, drafted and developed to be that third offensive threat at center, can not only complement the attack of Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes, but give the Devils the opportunity to have a player that can actually step into their offensive roles in the case of injury. From Mitch Brown’s juniors and NCAA tracking project, Shilov is fantastically skilled at entering the offensive zone, creating rushes out of nothing, and getting to dangerous shooting areas.

This is the exact kind of offensive player that the Devils need to be able to develop internally. If Sunny Mehta’s Devils are going to be an improvement from the last several years, this front office needs to trust that players like this can round out their games and play on the same wavelength as the team’s best players. So Shilov is not a forechecker, not much of a hitter, and he turns the puck over at times. What is most important is that the Devils have centers who can create offense, and Shilov makes up for his defensive issues by making great reads, winning a lot of plays in the neutral zone, and anticipating shooting lanes. This was visible when I watched the video of his shifts, and upon my checking it was even reflected in Brown’s tracking.

While some people might envision each line to serve a different purpose, a team is more threatening when their top offensive players are followed by third liners who can beat opponents in similar fashion. Shilov is a player who can be a puck carrier on the power play, evaluating the entry after the drop pass and either taking it in himself or seamlessly passing from his forehand or backhand. He’s a player who can keep and extend possession through cutbacks. He can switch with defensemen and attack from the point into the high slot. And, importantly, he is not reliant and creating from the outside. He wants to be in the middle of the ice, shooting and scoring goals.

It is also likely that the Devils have the chance to select someone with a better production profile than Shilov at 12th overall, if they keep that pick. I know that. But I think Shilov, one way or another, is someone to watch. He does not score cheap goals. He is not a peripheral playmaker. I do not see him as someone who relies on a type of offense that won’t be available at higher levels. He’s unpredictable, skilled, and smart. I do think he needs to up his physical compete level a little bit or perfect his anticipatory reads, but he might be one of the most skilled players in the 2026 NHL Draft, and any team that drafts him outside the top 10 is getting a good chance of making one of the best picks in the Draft. There might be better goal scorers among wingers in guys like Adam Novtony and Nikita Klepov, but Shilov had similar total point production to some of the top-ranked forwards in the Draft while being one of the top two or three goal-scoring centers.

In Memoriam

I would like to also take a moment to honor the passing of Johan Nilsson, the founder of Elite Prospects. As a young hockey fan, I was always hooked onto his website, learning about prospects or teams overseas, and it was an invaluable resource early on. It has continued to be an invaluable resource as a central base for all things hockey, and I lean on it a lot as a blogger here. My heart goes out to his family and children, and to all of those in the world battling colon cancer.

Your Thoughts

What do you think of Yegor Shilov? Do you think scouts have him right at the late first round? Or do you think he’s better than that? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.