Rangers vs. Canadiens: Lineups, storylines seeking another 4-game win streak
It took the New York Rangers five months this season before they finally strung four consecutive wins together. But with a victory Thursday at home against the Montreal Canadiens, the Rangers will secure a second four-game win streak in the past few weeks.
Such is the wild ride for the Rangers (31-35-9) down the stretch of this season. They won four in a row from Match 9-14, then lost six straight (0-5-1), before their current three-game winning streak.
It’s kind of mind blowing that the Rangers hadn’t won four in a row prior to this March run since Oct. 14-22, 2025, last season. Now they can do it twice in less than a month.
Of course, the Canadiens (43-21-10) have a say in the matter Thursday at Madison Square Garden. They’ve won a season-high six games in a row, including the first three of their current five-game road trip.
The high-flying Canadiens are third in the Atlantic Division and set to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second season in a row, with former Rangers forward Martin St. Louis pushing the right buttons behind Montreal’s bench. Montreal is third in the NHL, averaging 3.51 goals per game.
Stud forward Cole Caufield enters play with a career-high 47 goals, second in the League behind Colorado Avalanche superstar Nathan MacKinnon (50). But lately, it’s Montreal’s goaltending and team defense turning heads. The Canadiens allowed nine goals in their past five games, including one each in their past four.
So, the Rangers have their work cut out for them, even with three straight wins in their pocket, and outscoring opponents 13-3 during the win streak.
The Rangers seek to sweep the season series, after a 4-3 win at Bell Centre on Oct. 18 and a 5-4 overtime victory at MSG on Dec. 13.
3 storylines when Rangers host Canadiens
1. It’s Igor’s net, but who backs him up?
After lavishing Igor Shesterkin with praise after his standout First Star of the game performance Tuesday in New York’s 4-1 win over the New Jersey Devils — one that included a rousing goalie fight against Jacob Markstrom — there’s no way Mike Sullivan wasn’t starting his No. 1 in goal against the Canadiens. It doesn’t hurt that Igor’s 6-1-0 with a 2.26 goals-against average and .916 save percentage in seven career starts against Montreal, either.
Sullivan said postgame Tuesday, “’Shesty’ means so much to this team. In a lot of ways, he’s the foundation. … I think in a lot of ways he personifies what we want to become.”
If the coach means that the Rangers want to be great, yes, following Shesterkin’s lead is a good start. With 48 saves on 50 shots faced in his past two starts, Shesterkin’s now tied for second in the League with a .912 save percentage.
Sullivan reiterated Wednesday that Shesterkin will play a lot over the final seven games this season, and the Rangers must figure out a plan for Jonathan Quick — who appears ready to step back into the No. 2 role after a six-game injury absence — and rookie Dylan Garand.
As for Igor’s backup Thursday? Sullivan said it’s a game-time decision whether Quick or Garand dresses.
2. Rangers take step up in class
No disrespect to their recent opponents, but the Rangers take a step Thursday, when they face one of the better young teams in the NHL. The Canadiens play fast, with plenty of skill, have a mobile defense corps, and are a confident team punching their ticket again to the postseason.
“We know we’ve got a tough challenge,” Sullivan noted after the morning skate.
But there’s a bit of swagger to the Rangers now, especially after three consecutive wins at MSG for the first time this season.
“These last few games, we’ve been playing some really good hockey that we can be proud of. And it’s good we’re getting rewarded for it, for sure,” defenseman Braden Schneider said after practice Wednesday.
This is a good test for the Rangers, who have the look of a more relaxed team with the weight off its collective shoulders at this juncture.
3. ‘Cools’ trying to heat up
Will Cuylle carries a 13-game goal drought into this clash against the Canadiens, his third goal-less stretch of nine games or more, and a season-high. As such, he hasn’t quite enjoyed the stretch run as much as, say, the resurgent Alexis Lafreniere, or rookie Adam Sykora and Jaroslav Chmelar, for example.
After scoring 20 goals in his sophomore NHL season a year ago, Cuylle has 16 this season. And his 33 points are down from 45 in 2024-25, despite a two-minute uptick in ice-time on average per game (17:04).
Sullivan’s called Cuylle’s season a “mixed bag,” pointing out that the 24-year-old helped carry the offense at times this season.
“Listen, we have high expectations of Will, of course we do, he’s a good player,” Sullivan said. “I think there’ve been stretches of the season where he’s played very well for us. We’ve just got to find a little more consistency.”
New York Rangers projected lineup
Alexis Lafreniere — Mika Zibanejad — Gabe Perreault
Will Cuylle — Vincent Trocheck — Adam Sykora
Tye Kartye — J.T. Miller — Conor Sheary
Jonny Brodzinski — Noah Laba — Jaroslav Chmelar
Vladislav Gavrikov — Adam Fox
Matthew Robertson — Will Borgen
Drew Fortescue — Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Dylan Garand
Rangers vs. Devils: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. New Jersey Devils
When: Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden
How to watch: MSG
