Game 6: Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In Canada: CityTV, Sportsnet East (English), TVA Sports (French)
In the Rangers region: MSG
Streaming: ESPN+, Sportsnet+
The belief after Thursday’s game was that Kaiden Guhle had avoided a significant injury, but it turns out that wasn’t the case. Dropping to the ice with a non-contact injury before staying on the bench for the rest of the game, the news is that he is out four to six weeks with a lower-body issue. The Canadiens will also be without Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine for tonight’s game as they are out on a day-to-day basis.
It means the Canadiens are dealing with their first bit of adversity in a season that has gotten off to a very good start. Being down a top-four defenceman has become a very familiar situation for the team in recent years and one they’ll have to manage again. Fortunately, the Canadiens had seven blue-liners they can trust on the roster — and a couple more biding their time in the AHL should they need to delve further into the depth.
The response from Martin St-Louis for this game wasn’t to scramble to find a stop-gap, but to go to an alignment that he knows already works. Jayden Struble, who played his first game of the season and looked very good versus the Nashville Predators, rejoins Lane Hutson on the second pairing, while Arber Xhekaj and Alexandre Carrier will reconnect on the third duo that was together in the first four games. Struble and Hutson spent 324 minutes of five-on-five ice time together last season, and had an expected-goals-for percentage of 59.8%.
As for the reaction up front, the simplest decision was to slot in Joe Veleno for his first game after he spent the first five in the press box. The final position has been given to Owen Beck, up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket on an emergency basis. Beck didn’t have the training camp he wanted, and this will be another chance for him to show he can help the NHL club.
Tale of the Tape
| Canadiens | Statistics | Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| 4-1-0 | Record | 2-3-1 |
| 52.0% (11th) | Expected-goal share | 55.2% (3rd) |
| 3.60 (T-6th) | Goals per game | 1.83 (31st) |
| 2.80 (T-11th) | Goals against per game | 1.50 (1st) |
| 15.0% (T-23rd) | PP% | 11.8% (27th) |
| 75.0% (20th) | PK% | 91.7% (T-6th) |
| 1-2-0 | Head-to-Head Record (24-25) | 2-0-1 |
| Cole Caufield (5) | Most goals | Adam Fox (3) |
| Nick Suzuki (7) | Most assists | Sam Carrick (3) |
| Cole Caufield (7) | Most points | Adam Fox (4) |
Beck probably won’t make his impression with any offensive contributions as the entire lineup will be hard-pressed to find the back of the net this evening. The New York Rangers have allowed just nine goals through six games, three of those tallies in the opening game of the season. Igor Shesterkin ranks second in the NHL with a .962 save percentage, while Jonathan Quick, who has gotten one start, is fourth at .952.
Yet neither goaltender has a winning record. Even though the Rangers are the league’s best defensive team, surrendering a minuscule 1.50 goals per game, they’ve struggled to finish off their own chances. They scored 10 goals over a two-game road trip through Buffalo and Pittsburgh. In the other four games, they scored a total of one goal, and have been shut out in each of the three home games they’ve played so far.
It’s not that they’re not generating enough chances. They are launching 30 shots per game, and have 62 high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five through six contests. Only the Canadiens have more expected goals from their power-play minutes.
Despite their 2-3-1 record, the Rangers have gotten off to one of the strongest starts in terms of their complete team game, and it’s only a matter of time before they break down the barrier in the opposing net. A slightly weakened defensive lineup in Montreal could be just what they need to make that breakout happen. But the Canadiens have been one of the top defensive teams themselves, allowing just 24 shots per game to this point. It’s due to be a close battle all game long between two teams that look poised for big years.
Editor’s Note: A prior version of this article read that “Josh Anderson and Patrik Laine” were out for tonight’s game. That has been corrected to “Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine.”
