Rangers aim to tie season-high win streak; host Canadiens
The New York Rangers will host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night as they look tie a season-high win streak of six games set from Oct. 21st to Nov. 2nd.
Of course, head coach Peter Laviolette remembers the last time these two teams played back on Jan. 6 in Montreal. The Blueshirts fell behind 3-0, but roared back to tie only to lose in the shootout 4-3.
“It was the beginning of January and it wasn’t a great month for us,” he said. “That game didn’t go the way we wanted it to on the scoreboard. Their goaltender played a heck of a game that night and we were on the short end of the stick. It’s a chance to right a wrong for us.”
Here’s tonight’s game and broadcast info:
New York Rangers (34-16-3) vs Montreal Canadiens (22-23-8)
Date/Time: February 15, 2024 @ 7:00 PM ET
Arena: Madison Square Garden
TV: MSG
Radio: ESPN 98.7 FM
Note: Subject to change, updated for each game
Related: Rangers look internally for bottom-six fix
New York Rangers projected lineup
Forward Chris Kreider missed practice on Wednesday for personal reasons, but is expected to play. However, the Rangers did call up Alex Belzile once Tyler Pitlick cleared waivers.
Here’s the expected lineup versus Montreal:
Kreider – Zibanejad – Wheeler
Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere
Cuylle – Brodzinski – Kakko
Vesey – Goodrow – Edstrom
Lindgren – Fox
Miller – Trouba
Gustafsson – Schneider
Quick
Shesterkin
Note: The Rangers will hold an optional morning skate at 10:30 AM ET at the Madison Square Garden. Peter Laviolette will address the media afterwards. Check back for updates.
New York Rangers vs Montreal Canadiens
The Rangers lead in the Metro Division has grown over the Carolina Hurricanes to six points (71 to 65). Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers have won four straight to firmly hold third place with 64 points.
New York has found their groove starting just before the All-Star break with a 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators. They’re undefeated in February to date, beating the Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks, and Calgary Flames. Most importantly is that the Rangers are playing excellent team defense, outscoring their opponents 18 to 7 during this five-game winning streak.
In their last game, Igor Shesterkin was superb earning his first shutout of the season by blanking the Flames 2-0. He’s expected to get the start in goal and has an astounding .951 save percentage with a 1.47 goals against average in his last two games.
“Honestly, I felt great all night,” said Shesterkin. “The guys did a great job. If I get a shutout I’m happy, but the most important thing is wins.”
This season, the Blueshirts are 18-7-0 on home ice and have won their last three at the Garden. Their 18 wins at home rank third in the NHL.
Update: Jonathan Quick confirmed as the starter
Upcoming Rangers Milestones
- Jonathan Quick is 2 wins away from tying Dominik Hasek (389) for 15th all-time
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