Game 77: Montreal Canadiens @ New York Rangers
Start time: 7:00 PM EDT / 4:00 PM PDT
In the Canadiens region: TSN2 (English), RDS (French)
In the Rangers region: MSG2
Streaming: ESPN+, RDS, TSN+
The homestand has come to a close for the Montreal Canadiens, and that might be a good thing given how the last two games went for them. After quality opening periods, the matches versus the Tampa Bay Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs got away from the Habs in the middle period as they allowed a number of quick-strike goals. On both occasions they refused to just take the loss, getting the games to a point where they could pull their goaltender, but were unable to make up all the goals they surrendered.
Montreal has been better at holding games to at least a tie through regulation on the road this year, where they have a .486 points percentage compared to a .436 mark at the Bell Centre. Montreal’s most recent games away from home were a win in Seattle and then an impressive victory that snapped a long winning streak for the Colorado Avalanche.
That last win helped the Habs sweep the season series versus the Avs, and tonight the have a shot at winning the three-game set versus the New York Rangers this season. They had a shootout win at home earlier in the year before dropping a 7-4 decision at Madison Square Garden on February 15. It would be an impressive feat for the young team over the top club in the NHL, and currently one of the hottest.
| Canadiens | Statistics | Rangers |
|---|---|---|
| 29-35-12 | Record | 52-21-4 |
| 44.9% (29th) | Scoring-chances-for % | 50.1% (17th) |
| 2.73 (27th) | Goals per game | 3.43 (6th) |
| 3.37 (26th) | Goals against per game | 2.78 (7th) |
| 17.2% (26th) | PP% | 25.9% (4th) |
| 76.8% (23rd) | PK% | 83.5% (4th) |
| 1-1-0 | Head-to-Head Record | 1-0-1 |
Between the Christmas break and their bye week, the Rangers went a mediocre 7-7-2. Since the final mid-season pause, they’ve been on a bit of a rampage, losing just five times in regulation over the past 28 games. They begin this match having lost just one time in their past eight contests, to a desperate Pittsburgh Penguins team that has gone on a late-season surge toward a playoff spot.
They are led, as they usually are, by Artemiy Panarin, whose 111 points through 77 games would be very impressive if not for the trio of Nikita Kucherov, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon up around 130. Panarin has blown past his previous high of 96 points set two seasons ago, and has five more games to add to his total. He’s scored 30 goals on a few occasions in his career, including his first year in North America with the Chicago Blackhawks, but his finishing touch has reached a new level this year, with 45 goals on the campaign. Montreal catches him on an eight-game point streak, on which he has seven goals and 10 assists,
Panarin will be the challenge for Nick Suzuki’s trio, and also for a defence that will likely still be missing Kaiden Guhle. It was a relatively brief letdown for the team last night, but one lesson the Habs are learning is that even momentary lapses can prove deadly versus teams with elite offensive players.
Montreal second trio will be looking to bounce back from a rare off night versus Toronto when they manufactured very little. Brendan Gallagher, Alex Newhook, and Joel Armia were each a -2 in the contest, and recorded just a single shot on goal. It was just the sixth time since the holiday pause that Armia didn’t hit the target, and first time since March 16 in Calgary. The Rangers didn’t become the top team in the NHL by relying on a single player or line, however, so it’s another deep team Armia and company face, with Chris Kreider, Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad, and Alexis Lafrenière, who’s figuring things out at about the same pace as Juraj Slafkovský right now, to deal with
