NHL: Montreal Canadiens vs New York Rangers | 28 April, 7:30 AM (PST)

[Mary C]

POTENTIAL STARTING LINEUPS: 

MONTREAL CANADIENS: 

C | Nick Suzuki 

LW | Cole Caufield 

RW | Rem Pitlick 

LD | Alexander Romanov 

RD | David Savard 

G | Sam Montembeault 

 

NEW YORK RANGERS: 

C | Mika Zibanejad 

LW | Chris Kreider 

RW | Frank Vatrano 

LD | Ryan Lindgren 

RD | Adam Fox 

G | Igor Shesterkin 

 

It’s the better New York NHL team against Montreal— it’s the New York Rangers against the Montreal Canadiens. This Thursday, the clash is taking place at the Madison Square Garden, courtesy of New York. 7:30 AM in Philippine Standard Time. We’re going to have to get up early for this one. If you haven’t placed your bets, then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s what we think. 

 

November 17, 2021 was the last matchup of the two Eastern Conference teams with a 3-2 game in favor of the New Yorkers. Coach Gerard Gallant said back then how the players are starting to form chemistry, and it’s safe to say that they’ve cultivated that chemistry very well. We say this as the Rangers have now racked up a 51-22-6 record, getting them up to the second place in the Metropolitan Division and eighth in the league. Left-wing Chris Kreider and goaltender Igor Shesterkin are also among the top score leaders in the league; Kreider being the third-best in goals, and Shesterkin being the top goaltender with his GAA of 2.03 and .936 SVPCT. They got the chemistry; they got the talent, and smooth sailing is more than expected from them. 

 

On the other hand, the Canadiens are facing a losing streak of nine. 32nd in the entirety of NHL with 20-49-11. Objectively the worst team in the league this season, Montreal has been struggling for quite some time now. Trying hard to go back to their glory days when they were still able to accumulate 24 championships, it seems they’re not trying hard enough. It’s not just lacking talent because some players showed many potentials such as Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Brendan Gallagher, but that potential was not nurtured, and their progress has even taken a step back. New players also are not living up to the talent that left, and now they’ve lost too much, too quickly. As the season is coming to an end with only two games left for them, it’ll be harder for them to climb up from the pits of the league. The only way they can escape now is by winning their last two games with the Ranger and Panthers and outranking the Arizona Coyotes as they tie at 51 points.  

 

To cap this off, we’re seeing a clear winner with these odds and that’s the Rangers. Montreal has been dragged through the mud this season. While it’s unfortunate, it’s a reality for them. The Rangers have their heads in the game right now, and it’s unlikely for Montreal to break their losing streak at this point in the season. Ultimately, this game will be another David and Goliath matchup, but Goliath turns out victorious regardless, sorry Montreal. However, miracles exist, and the only way to find out is to watch this exciting game.  

 

7:30 AM, Thursday, April 28, 2022. Madison Square Garden, New York, NY.