Game 23: Montreal Canadiens @ New York Rangers
Start time: **1:00 PM EST / 10:00 AM PST**
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Rangers region: MSG
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, Sportsnet+
The New York Rangers organization is one that the Montreal Canadiens have been compared to frequently as a model for a rebuild, especially after Jeff Gorton made the move to the oldest Original Six franchise from one its youngest. A break from the usual plan of trying to keep the Rangers somewhat competitive to focus on accumulating prospects and building from there looked to be on track for New York, and offered hope for the Canadiens taking a similar approach.
There have been trips to the conference finals twice in the past three season for the Rangers, as the plan worked to place the team among the league’s top contenders. Falling to the eventual Stanley Cup-champion Florida Panthers in six games in the spring, they got off to a good start for another shot this season with a 12-4-1 record, including a 7-2 win at the Bell Centre on October 22.
Now, however, they are mired in a five-game losing streak. There is mounting concern that a roster pieced together through the draft and free agents wanting to live in the bustling Big Apple doesn’t have the championship pedigree management and fans hoped for. The current news regarding the franchise is a public report about shopping veteran Chris Kreider and captain Jacob Trouba, and they may not be the only players in play.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| 8-12-2 | Record | 12-9-1 |
| 48.2% (24th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 48.5% (22nd) |
| 2.82 (21st) | Goals per game | 3.23 (11th) |
| 3.73 (31st) | Goals against per game | 2.82 (10th) |
| 22/2% (11th) | PP% | 20.4% (14th) |
| 84.0% (6th) | PK% | 87.1% (2nd) |
| 0-1-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 1-0-0 |
It’s easy to understand why there’s a bit of panic setting in. Kreider is still well on pace to hit 35 goals for a fourth consecutive season, but five of those goals have come on special teams, and he doesn’t have a single assist with a quarter of the season played. Trouba’s goal and point totals have dropped steadily in each of the past three season, and he’s sitting on six assists after 22 matches and trusted for a career-low 20:27 of ice time each night by head coach Peter Laviolette. Mika Zibanejad often hovers around the point-per-game mark, but so far has 15 points, and holds a team-worst -13 goal differential. Vincent Trocheck, the player tasked with first-line-centre duties, has 11 points to his name. The fanbase has even begun to turn on last year’s darling Matt Rempe as the novelty of his package of size and physicality begins to wear off with little else on offer.
The top performers are currently the younger ones on the roster. Adam Fox (still just 26), is playing at his usual standard (though he, like Montreal’s small offensive defenceman Lane Hutson, would like one of his shots to go in the net). Alexis Lafrenière is having a decent season with eight goals and eight assists, on pace for 67 points. Will Cuylle is just three points from beating the total he set last season as a rookie in a full campaign, currently ranking second on the team in points behind Artemiy Panarin With everyone else playing at their typical standard, Cuylle’s offence might be just the boost the team needs to get over the hump. Right now, the 22-year-old is the player identified by those who follow the club as the example the veterans should be trying to emulate.
A squad of good young talent carrying some of the older stars is something you’d expect from a team still in a rebuild rather than an organization with realistic Stanley Cup aspirations, and that’s the worry for those who thought that phase was in the rearview mirror. Perhaps it’s just some early-season indifference for a group that is waiting for the meaningful games to begin. Or maybe a shake-up really is a necessary, unplanned step in their journey.
