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New York Rangers vs. Cup Contenders: Montreal Canadiens

By Drew McCaffrey

Feb 21, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers right wing Rick Nash (61) has his shot stopped by Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers right wing Rick Nash (61) has his shot stopped by Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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 As of this writing, the New York Rangers sit sixth in the NHL, with 79 points in 59 games. Over the coming weeks, Blue Line Station will take a look at how the Rangers stack up against the teams ahead of them, as well as other Cup contenders.

The end of February is fast approaching, with many teams past the 60-game mark and the rest, including the New York Rangers, closing in fast. The trade deadline is just around the corner.

It’s time to start looking at the playoffs, and the teams that might be standing between the New York Rangers and the Stanley Cup.

As a member of the brutally stacked Metropolitan Division, New York has a potentially more difficult path than most teams if they have true Cup aspirations.

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The wild card division flip is still in play, but whether or not the Rangers cross over to the Atlantic, they’ll still have to beat some talented teams to make it back to the Cup Final for the first time since 2014.

As things stand today, the Rangers would face the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, again for the first time since 2014.

Measuring Up

On paper, a road matchup with the Canadiens appears to be the Rangers’ best bet for advancing past the first round. While Montreal started the season at an absolutely torrid pace, they’ve cooled off considerably since November.

Feb 21, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers right wing Rick Nash (61) celebrates scoring a goal during the second period past Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 21, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers right wing Rick Nash (61) celebrates scoring a goal during the second period past Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price (31) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Winners of just 3 of their past 10, the Canadiens have 7 fewer points than the Rangers despite leading the Atlantic Division.

Montreal’s shot attempt statistics are still strong—52.33%, good for third in the league at 5v5 according to Corsica Hockey—their goaltending has suffered in recent months and their shooting percentage has dropped to 14th at even strength.

The Rangers are shooting a whopping 9.56%, trailing only Minnesota and Washington for the best mark in the league.

Star Power

Both the Rangers and the Canadiens live or die on their goaltending. Both Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist have been among the league’s best in the past few years, but Lundqvist has the better playoff pedigree. His absurd Game 7 stat line—the King is 6-1 in 7 career Game 7s, with a sparkling .962 save percentage and 0.97 GAA—is unparalleled in the history of the NHL.

Feb 19, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) defends during the third period against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) defends during the third period against the Washington Capitals at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Beyond the star Canadian netminder, Montreal leans heavily on their captain, Max Pacioretty. His 28 goals on the season are twice the number of the next-best scorers (Alex Radulov, Shea Weber, and Paul Byron each have 14 goals).

For the Rangers, however, the scoring is spread out much more. Michael Grabner leads the team with 26 goals, but five more Rangers have at least 14 goals, and Chris Kreider has a career-high 22.

X-Factors

In a best-of-seven playoff series, sometimes it’s not the big names that carry the day. In a series between Montreal and New York, goals would likely be tough to come by, with the respective top lines checked closely and matched against top defensive pairs as much as possible.

For Montreal, the potential series breaker would be the aforementioned Byron. With blistering speed and a deft scoring touch, Byron has the wheels and skill to put even the speedy Rangers on their heels.

As for the Rangers, their depth on offense makes it easy for any line to do damage. But the real catalyst for playoff success against a team like the Canadiens will have to come from the back end.

Captain and defenseman Ryan McDonagh had an absolutely stellar series the last time these two teams faced off, with 2 goals and 10 points in the Rangers’ 4-2 Eastern Conference Final win in 2014.

If he can replicate the kind of sharp playmaking and opportunistic shooting he showed three years ago, the Rangers can make it to the second round.

Next: New York Rangers' Ideal Playoff Spot is the Wildcard

Any way the brackets play out, however, the Rangers will have to go through several Stanley Cup contenders. If they do end up in the first wildcard spot, the Montreal Canadiens will be just the first on the road to a potential championship.

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