The Montreal Canadiens have proved this season that they are a bad matchup for the New York Rangers. The first round of the NHL Playoffs may further prove that.
The New York Rangers are not as lucky as people think to have been paired with the Montreal Canadiens as their first round opponent.
It’s the perfect situation, right? The Rangers avoid the Penguins, Capitals, and Blue Jackets (all finished with more points than Montreal), until at least the Eastern Conference Finals. Instead, the Rangers will play their way through the Atlantic Division opponents.
Not so fast Rangers. Let’s not forget that the Canadiens have had your number all year and they look to be even tougher than they were before.
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Regular Season Precedent
It is important to realize that the teams you play in the regular season will be the same teams come springtime in the playoffs. The pace of the play is different but the teams are the same.
For the Rangers, that is very bad news. The Canadiens beat the Rangers not once, not twice, but three times this year. Not to mention the two teams only played three times all year.
The first game came in Montreal and the Rangers lost 5-4. The Rangers beat Carey Price four times and still lost. That simply cannot happen if the Rangers expect to win this series. If you score on the Canadiens you need to make sure it counts.
The next two games came at Madison Square Garden. The Canadiens won the first matchup 3-2 in a shootout. The Rangers get a pass here because you can’t lose in a shootout in the playoffs. However, you can lose in overtime, and the Rangers wont be looking to take every game to overtime.
The final game of the year the Canadiens won 4-1. The Rangers looked horrible from start to finish. Shea Weber scored around halfway through the first period and the Canadiens never looked back. It was a disheartening loss that only enhances the idea that the Rangers may not be cut out for Montreal.
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Was There a Better Option?
The Rangers didn’t have any control over who won the Atlantic Division and would come to play them in the first round.
But during the season it seemed like the Rangers’ best option would be to roll the dice against won the Atlantic Division. Looking back, that may not have been the best case.
The Rangers played better against Washington, Pittsburgh, and Columbus. Against Pittsburgh, the Rangers were 2-2-1; Washington, 2-2-0; and Columbus, 2-3-0. While those numbers aren’t particularly promising either, it’s certainly a better situation for the first round.
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Final Thoughts
The first round will be a grind for the Rangers for sure. It’s hard to gauge which situation would have been tougher. It is the Stanley Cup Playoffs after all.
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For what it’s worth, the Rangers have played well against Boston and Ottawa this year, going a combined 4-2-0 against the two. Unfortunately that won’t be a factor if the Rangers can’t figure out how to get past Carey Price and the Canadiens