The New York Rangers host the Montreal Canadiens host for the last time this season. There are three storylines to follow.
Fans of the New York Rangers have reason to be happy., Despite trading away some of their best assets, the team has come together and played with heart and determination against some of the best teams in the league. With Montreal in the thick of a desperate playoff fight, this game will be no different.
There are a three storylines worth playing attention to.
Storyline One – Can they keep it up?
First Washington. Then Tampa. Now Montreal. Three teams that are clearly better than the Rangers talent-wise and definitely better record-wise. Against Washington and Tampa, the Rangers fell behind in both games and came roaring back to tie. Although they lost in overtime, the fact that they threw a scare into two very good teams bodes well for the future of this young squad.
Montreal is not as good as the Caps or Tampa, but they still are sitting in a wild card spot. They have been hampered by inconsistency. In February they beat Winnipeg, Columbus and Philadelphia and thrashed Detroit, but lost to the Devils and Florida. They still have an all-world Carey Price in net.
The key to the Rangers maintaining this streak is to not fall behind. Take out the first period of the last two games and they win both, soundly. The question is, can they maintain that high level of play for three periods and does it require a kick in the butt from David Quinn for falling behind to get started?
Storyline two – All eyes on Hajek
There will be an inordinate amount of attention paid to Libor Hajek as he makes his NHL debut tonight. The cornerstone of the McDonagh deal with Tampa, he has high expectations to live up to. Despite minimal scoring numbers in Hartford, David Quinn says that he has been improving lately and deserves this chance. Let’s see if he can live up to the hype.
It’s important to remember that he is not Rasmus Dahlin. He is a mid-second round draft pick with a solid upside as a defender. He’s not going to win any scoring titles, but he will hopefully be a solid defender who will take the body and make solid outlet passes. He will be paired with Neal Pionk on defense so that in its own could be an adventure.
Storyline three – Lemieux and Montreal
Okay, I may be just making this up, but it has to be significant for Brendan Lemieux to play the Montreal Canadiens. His father, Claude, was a Stanley Cup Winner with Montreal and played four full seasons in the bleu blanc rouge. A native of Quebec, Claude was one of the greatest post-season players of all time. Although Brendan was born in Colorado and grew up in the United States, playing Montreal has to be of some importance to him.
It won’t be the first time he has faced Montreal, but as a member of an Original Six team, with his extended family watching, we could be in for some fireworks. I am sure there won’t a Ranger fan alive who wouldn’t like to see Lemieux dish Brendan Gallagher a bit of his own medicine.