Rangers vs. Canadiens: 3 things to look for in NHL ‘Frozen Frenzy’ night

The New York Rangers close out their three-game road trip Tuesday, when they visit the Montreal Canadiens. It will be one of 16 games on the NHL schedule for the League’s Frozen Frenzy, where all 32 teams play on the same day for the only time this season.
So, with staggered start times for each game, that means the Rangers and Canadiens will drop the puck at 7:15 p.m. at Bell Centre.
Novelty aside, the Rangers will try to complete a sweep of their road trip and maintain their best start in recent memory. After a 5-2 win in Detroit against the Red Wings and a 4-1 victory at the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Rangers are 3-0-0 on the road, only the third time they’ve done so in franchise history and first since 1931-32.
New York is 4-0-1 overall and if it gets at least one point against Montreal, it will set a franchise record for longest point streak to begin a season.
That’s some heady stuff. And yet, the Rangers believe they can play much better, especially on the defensive side of the puck.
Tuesday night, the Rangers face off with the Canadiens (2-3-1), who are tied for sixth in the Atlantic Division and look to break a three-game slide (0-2-1). In their four defeats this season, the Canadiens have allowed 20 goals; but in their two victories, Montreal surrendered one goal.
Old friend Martin St. Louis is in his fourth season as Canadiens coach and is trying to lead them back into the postseason for the first time since they played in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final and lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Rangers were 2-0-1 against the Canadiens last season and are 7-2-1 in their past 10 meetings. They are 5-0-1 in their past six games played at Bell Centre.
Related: Rangers reaping benefits of Jeff Gorton’s final draft as GM in 2020
3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Canadiens

1. K’Andre Miller milestone, continued excellence
K’Andre Miller is set to play in his 300th NHL game Tuesday. The 24-year-old defenseman is off to an excellent start in his fifth season after he was selected in the first round (No. 22 overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Moved up to partner with Adam Fox on the top defense pair following a preseason injury shelved Ryan Lindgren, Miller leads the Rangers in TOI (23:20) and has the best 5v5 scoring chances for percentage (63.53) and the best ratio of high danger chances for (70.73 percent), per Natural Stat Trick.
Miller has been excellent at both ends of the ice, and a quality fit with Fox, who has six assists in five games and is second on the Rangers averaging 22:09 TOI. Miller has one goal and one assist, is tied for second on the Rangers with 10 blocked shots and is third with 10 hits. He’s been on ice for only two goals against at even strength in five games.
2. Ryan Lindgren’s return
After missing the first five games with an upper-body injury he sustained in a preseason fight with Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield, Lindgren returns to the Rangers lineup Tuesday. Lindgren will wear a bubble face shield for the unspecified injury.
The 26-year-old, who can be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, will skate on the third pair with rookie Victor Mancini. It’s a way for coach Peter Laviolette to ease Lindgren back into the lineup and get another look at the Miller-Fox pairing. And it’ll be another audition for Mancini, the 22-year-old who’s turned heads since the start of training camp and right through his first five NHL games.
3. Alexis Lafreniere looks to extend point streak
Though the spotlight remains on Artemi Panarin, who has 12 points in a season-opening five-game point streak and is tied for the NHL lead in scoring, Alexis Lafreniere’s hot start shouldn’t be overlooked. The 23-year-old forward also has a point in every game this season, totaling three goals and three assists to rank tied for third on the Rangers with six points.
Lafreniere has scored a goal in every other game, including when he whipped a loose puck past Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz for the game-opening goal Saturday.
Lafreniere didn’t practice Monday, though he did skate on his own after his teammates departed the ice. He did participate in the morning skate Tuesday.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Kreider – Zibanejad – Smith
Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Cuylle – Chytil – Kakko
Edstrom – Carrick – Brodzinski
Miller – Fox
Schneider – Trouba
Lindgren-Mancini
Shesterkin
Quick
Check back for updates after Rangers coach Peter Laviolette meets with the media Tuesday morning.
Rangers vs. Canadiens: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. Montreal Canadiens
Where: Bell Centre
When: Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 7:15 p.m. ET
How to Watch: MSG
Click here for New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and game results
More About:New York Rangers News