GAME DAY | Rangers – Canadiens: Preview, Lines, Goalies, TV, Fantasy
Jordan Lambe
Pre-game Notes and Quotes
P. K. Subban: “No I won’t be playing tomorrow. And just for the record, I will obviously continue to keep skating with my teammates at practice but I think the focus needs to be on the team, not on me. It can’t be about when I’m going to make my return. I don’t even know that myself. I don’t think it’s fair for the rest of the guys to keep asking me when I’m going to come back,”
Michel Therrien: “Seeing as we have four young defensemen with little experience, it can be difficult to shelter them from the tougher assignments. But it is also important for us to see how the young defensemen respond in difficult situations.”
Stefan Matteau after absorbing a big hit from Brendan Smith on Thursday: “We’ve become a tight-knit group in here, and it shows that our year isn’t over yet. I would have done the same thing for him. It’s part of the game. I put myself into a vulnerable position and that’s what happened. I don’t blame it on anybody. What’s important is that everything was okay and I was able to return to the ice.”
The schedule for the Canadiens is simple over the next two weeks as they play every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until the season wraps up.
While the Canadiens have a 27-17-3 record versus teams in the Eastern Conference this season, the Rangers have a 26-15-5 record against teams from the East.
So far this season, the Canadiens have a 12-8-2 record versus teams in the Metropolitan division, while the Rangers have a 13-6-1 record versus teams coming from the Atlantic.
The Canadiens have maintained their place in the standings for the goals against category, as they are currently in 23rd in the league in goals against, with 216 in 75 games. The Rangers have allowed 194 goals in 74 games and find themselves in 14th in the league.
The Canadiens have dropped down in the standings for the goals scored category as they are currently in 18th place in the NHL, with 199 over their first 75 games. The Rangers are 6th in this category with 212 goals scored in their first 74 games.
Matchup
Bell Centre, Montreal, QC. | March 27, 7:00 PM ET | TV: MSG 2, NHLN-US, TVAS, SN
2015-16 statistics
RANGERS
CANADIENS
92 (2nd)
Points (Conference rank)
74 (13th)
42-24-8
Record
34-35-6
25-8-3
Home
20-14-3
17-16-5
Road
14-21-3
5-3-2
Last 10
4-6-0
2.86
G/G
2.65
2.62
GA/G
2.88
18.8
PP%
16.6
77.1
PK%
83.6
47.9
CF%*
51.5
50.2
CF60*
54.9
54.5
CA60*
51.2
*Advanced statistics: Score adjusted, even strength. CF%: Corsi for percentage of total CF60: Corsi For/60 minutes CA60: Corsi Against/60 minutes (via War on Ice)
Projected forward lines, defense pairings and goaltenders
Forwards
Kreider – Brassard – Nash
Miller – Stepan – Zuccarello
Hayes – Staal – Fast
Glass – Moore – Stalberg
Pacioretty – Galchenyuk – Byron
Eller – Plekanec – Andrighetto
Matteau – Desharnais – McCarron
Mitchell – Danault – Brown
Expected scratches: Gallagher, De la Rose, Lessio
