New York Rangers top five rivals right now

4. Montreal Canadiens

The New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens don’t have a traditional rivalry. While both teams are part of the Original Six, their head-to-head matchups have never been very heated. At least until recently, however.

When the Canadiens and Rangers met in the playoffs in 2017, it was only the 16th instance of the teams battling it out. Many of their previous meetings were during the Original Six era. However, the Rangers and Canadiens met in 2014, where the modern rivalry came to fruition.

In the first period of Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals, Chris Kreider was tripped and fell skates first into goaltender Carey Price. Price left the game, which the Canadiens lost, and didn’t play for the rest of the series. Since then, the Rangers and Canadiens have played with an extra intensity.

While the Rangers and Canadiens don’t battle in the standings, they can still meet in the playoffs. When the teams do, sparks fly. Though an untraditional rivalry, the Rangers and Canadiens play a gritty rivalry.