Following a rough loss to the Wild a few nights ago, the Canadiens look to get back on track against one of their closest competitors in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers sit a point back of the Habs, and are also the highest scoring team in the league this year, which should present a tough challenge for Michel Therrien’s team.
Fortunately, reinforcements have arrived for Montreal, as Alex Galchenyuk and Andrew Shaw will return to the lineup tonight. Shaw makes the top six a more solid group, and the return of the team’s number one centre in Galchenyuk should boost the Canadiens’ offence. He had 23 points in 25 games before his knee injury.
Shaw will line up on the second line alongside Paul Byron and Phillip Danault, and Galchenyuk will centre a potentially explosive first line with Max Pacioretty and Alelx Radulov.
The Rangers boast a 28-14-0 record, and are coming off a 4-2 loss to Toronto last night. Chris Kreider and Kevin Hayes are tied for the team lead in points with 31. Speedy forward Michael Grabner is someone to watch, as he has had a resurgent season this year, leading the club with 19 goals, good enough for 9th overall in league wide goal scoring.
How To Watch
Puck drop: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
In Canada: Sportsnet (English), TVAS (French)
In the Rangers region: MSG
Elsewhere: NHL.tv/NHL Gamecenter Live, NHL Center Ice
Projected Montreal Canadiens Lineup
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Max Pacioretty | Alex Galchenyuk | Alexander Radulov |
| Paul Byron | Philip Danault | Andrew Shaw |
| Artturi Lehkonen | Tomas Plekanec | Sven Andrighetto |
| Brian Flynn | Torrey Mitchell | Michael McCarron |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Alexei Emelin | Shea Weber |
| Nathan Beaulieu | Jeff Petry |
| Mark Barberio | Zach Redmond |
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Carey Price |
| Al Montoya |
Injured: David Desharnais (knee), Greg Pateryn (fractured ankle), Andrei Markov (lower-body)
Projected New York Rangers Line up
| Left Wing | Centre | Right Wing |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Kreider | Derek Stepan | Mats Zuccarello |
| Michael Grabner | Kevin Hayes | J.T. Miller |
| Jimmy Vesey | Oscar Lindberg | Rick Nash |
| Marek Hrivik | Brandon Pirri | Jesper Fast |
| Left Defence | Right Defence |
|---|---|
| Ryan McDonagh | Brady Skjei |
| Nick Holden | Dan Girardi |
| Adam Clendening | Kevin Klein |
| Goaltenders |
|---|
| Henrik Lundqvist |
| Antti Raanta |
Injuries: Marc Staal (concussion), Matt Puempel (concussion), Mika Zibanejad (leg)
