After winning the first two games, the New York Rangers return to action for their final matchup on a three road trip tonight against the Montreal Canadiens.
New York currently has a three-game win streak and is off to a 4-0-1 start to the young season. While it is still early, every point matters and the Blueshirts look to continue surging.
Tonight they face a Montreal team who is off to a decent start - through six games it has a record of 2-3-1. Leading scorer Cole Caufield has six goals through six games.
Here's three Rangers to watch in the final game of the road trip.
1. Alexis Lafreniere
Lafreniere is one of two Rangers (Artemi Panarin being the other) to have a point in each of the Blueshirts' first five games. The 23-year-old currently has three goals and three assists.
This is not only because Lafreniere has Panarin and Vincent Trocheck on his line - he's elevating everyone around him. In his last 40 games, Lafreniere is averaging over a point per contest.
It's reaching the point where Lafreniere can and should be considered a star. As the season goes on it will be interesting to see his progression.
*One more note - Lafreniere is day-to-day, so the winger might not be in the lineup tonight.
2. Mika Zibanejad
Though his goalscoring has not started well, Zibanejad is off to a fine start to the season. He has five points in five games, and besides the one game against Utah where he had a -4 rating, Zibanejad as at least a +1 rating in three games.
Saturday night, he had two assists against the Maple Leafs, including a pass to Chris Kreider across the crease to make the game 2-0. If Zibanejad can start scoring goals, he - and the entire line - becomes much more of a threat.
3. Will Cuylle/Filip Chytil/Kaapo Kakko
It's really hard to pick one.
The Rangers line of Cuylle, Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil has been one of the top: according to moneypuck.com, the line is tied for first in the NHL with 4.8 expected goals for. They are tied with Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.
If that does not say enough about the line's performance, if you've watched the Rangers so far this year this line has been noticeable. Each member brings something of their own.
Think of it - if Kakko is able to make plays and capitalize on chances, Chytil stays healthy and is what the Rangers know he can be - or else they would not have given him a 4x4.375 contract - and Cuylle has an increased offensive performance, indicated through his four points so far this year. The line could be scary.
New York is one of the top offensive teams so far this season, and it's not only because of the top six.