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NYR lead best of 7 series 1-0
The Montreal Canadiens relinquished home-ice advantage in their Eastern Conference final after being on the business end of a 7-2 drubbing in the series opener. Looking to even the set with the New York Rangers, Montreal isn't revealing its cards on whether Carey Price will be in goal for Game 2 on Monday. The Canadian Olympian appeared to injure his right knee in a collision with New York forward Chris Kreider but remained in the contest and yielded four goals in two periods - including two in less than a minute - before sitting out the third.
Price skated for approximately five minutes but did not take part in Sunday's practice, leading to speculation that Peter Budaj may receive the start. "Today was an optional practice," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. "It was a therapy day for Carey. We'll see if he's able to play." Defenseman Ryan McDonagh certainly was able to play on Saturday, collecting a goal and three assists to etch his name into the franchise record book as the Rangers emphatically drew first blood in the series.
ABOUT THE RANGERS: New York attended the funeral of forward Martin St. Louis' mother Sunday. "He felt the organization was there to support him," center Brad Richards said. "We felt how passionate he was coming back and playing. I think it just made him and us get closer to him. He really feels like he's a Ranger now with what he went through and everybody behind him."
On Saturday, the Rangers rode the momentum of overcoming a 3-1 deficit in their Eastern Conference Second Round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins to extend their winning streak to four games.
"Winning three in a row against Pittsburgh and not really having a letup, you're going up in the right direction, so you don't want to go back down," defenseman Dan Girardi said. "We had a great start to this series here, and now the biggest key for us is to not have a letdown and to try to get that second one on the road, not play a win one, lose one series."
While New York recorded seven goals in the opener, perhaps none was more important - at least psychologically - than the one by Rick Nash. The struggling forward scored on the power play during the third period for his first tally of the postseason and just his second in 27 playoff games as a member of the Rangers. Nash's inclusion with the man advantage came as a result of the absence of Derick Brassard, who is considered day-to-day by coach Alain Vigneault after exiting Game 1 with an undisclosed injury.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS: Coming off an emotional second-round series win against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, Montreal never made it out of the gates in Game 1, its first time opening a series at Bell Centre in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Canadiens not only lost home-ice advantage with their 7-2 loss to the Rangers, but they also are in danger of falling behind 2-0 for the first time in the postseason.
"I think it's easier to bounce back after a loss like that than a heartbreaker," forward Max Pacioretty said. "So, obviously, you don't want to throw a game like that, but we know we're still a confident group. We've got to put that one behind us and not look back."
Budaj and Dustin Tokarski handled goaltending duties during practice Sunday.
As one might expect, former Ranger Brandon Prust and Therrien took issue with Kreider's collision with Price. "In this situation, he went skates first right into his leg," Prust said. "We call that accidentally on purpose." Prust attempted to retaliate against Kreider, but instead drew a double-minor and 10-minute misconduct that led to three power-play goals. "Let's put it this way," Therrien said. "(Kreider) didn't put much effort to avoid contact."
Who's hot: Defenseman Ryan McDonagh was one of seven Rangers who had two or more points in the Game 1 victory. His four-point performance (one goal, three assists) led the way and tied a Rangers record for points in a playoff game by a defenseman. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who won his first game at Bell Centre since March 17, 2009, leads all goalies with nine wins and is tied for second with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage in the playoffs. … Canadiens forward Lars Eller, who had a goal and an assist in Game 1, has two goals in his past three games, five in the playoffs.
Injury report: New York center Derick Brassard (undisclosed) is day-to-day, according to Vigneault. He left Game 1 and did not return after he was knocked to the ice on a hit by Montreal defenseman Mike Weaver at 3:05 of the first period. ... Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk (knee) is day-to-day. He has not played since April 9 but was cleared for contact last week and has been practicing.
Trends:
Rangers are 11-5 in their last 16 vs. Atlantic.
Rangers are 2-6 in their last 8 Monday games.
Canadiens are 5-1 in their last 6 Monday games.
Canadiens are 9-2 in their last 11 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Home team is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings
http://www.covers.com/pageLoader/pageLoader.aspx?page=/data/nhl/matchups/g2_preview_2.html
http://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/preview?id=2013030312
NYR lead best of 7 series 1-0
The Montreal Canadiens relinquished home-ice advantage in their Eastern Conference final after being on the business end of a 7-2 drubbing in the series opener. Looking to even the set with the New York Rangers, Montreal isn't revealing its cards on whether Carey Price will be in goal for Game 2 on Monday. The Canadian Olympian appeared to injure his right knee in a collision with New York forward Chris Kreider but remained in the contest and yielded four goals in two periods - including two in less than a minute - before sitting out the third.
Price skated for approximately five minutes but did not take part in Sunday's practice, leading to speculation that Peter Budaj may receive the start. "Today was an optional practice," Montreal coach Michel Therrien said. "It was a therapy day for Carey. We'll see if he's able to play." Defenseman Ryan McDonagh certainly was able to play on Saturday, collecting a goal and three assists to etch his name into the franchise record book as the Rangers emphatically drew first blood in the series.
ABOUT THE RANGERS: New York attended the funeral of forward Martin St. Louis' mother Sunday. "He felt the organization was there to support him," center Brad Richards said. "We felt how passionate he was coming back and playing. I think it just made him and us get closer to him. He really feels like he's a Ranger now with what he went through and everybody behind him."
On Saturday, the Rangers rode the momentum of overcoming a 3-1 deficit in their Eastern Conference Second Round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins to extend their winning streak to four games.
"Winning three in a row against Pittsburgh and not really having a letup, you're going up in the right direction, so you don't want to go back down," defenseman Dan Girardi said. "We had a great start to this series here, and now the biggest key for us is to not have a letdown and to try to get that second one on the road, not play a win one, lose one series."
While New York recorded seven goals in the opener, perhaps none was more important - at least psychologically - than the one by Rick Nash. The struggling forward scored on the power play during the third period for his first tally of the postseason and just his second in 27 playoff games as a member of the Rangers. Nash's inclusion with the man advantage came as a result of the absence of Derick Brassard, who is considered day-to-day by coach Alain Vigneault after exiting Game 1 with an undisclosed injury.
ABOUT THE CANADIENS: Coming off an emotional second-round series win against the Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins, Montreal never made it out of the gates in Game 1, its first time opening a series at Bell Centre in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Canadiens not only lost home-ice advantage with their 7-2 loss to the Rangers, but they also are in danger of falling behind 2-0 for the first time in the postseason.
"I think it's easier to bounce back after a loss like that than a heartbreaker," forward Max Pacioretty said. "So, obviously, you don't want to throw a game like that, but we know we're still a confident group. We've got to put that one behind us and not look back."
Budaj and Dustin Tokarski handled goaltending duties during practice Sunday.
As one might expect, former Ranger Brandon Prust and Therrien took issue with Kreider's collision with Price. "In this situation, he went skates first right into his leg," Prust said. "We call that accidentally on purpose." Prust attempted to retaliate against Kreider, but instead drew a double-minor and 10-minute misconduct that led to three power-play goals. "Let's put it this way," Therrien said. "(Kreider) didn't put much effort to avoid contact."
Who's hot: Defenseman Ryan McDonagh was one of seven Rangers who had two or more points in the Game 1 victory. His four-point performance (one goal, three assists) led the way and tied a Rangers record for points in a playoff game by a defenseman. Goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who won his first game at Bell Centre since March 17, 2009, leads all goalies with nine wins and is tied for second with a 1.99 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage in the playoffs. … Canadiens forward Lars Eller, who had a goal and an assist in Game 1, has two goals in his past three games, five in the playoffs.
Injury report: New York center Derick Brassard (undisclosed) is day-to-day, according to Vigneault. He left Game 1 and did not return after he was knocked to the ice on a hit by Montreal defenseman Mike Weaver at 3:05 of the first period. ... Canadiens forward Alex Galchenyuk (knee) is day-to-day. He has not played since April 9 but was cleared for contact last week and has been practicing.
Trends:
Rangers are 11-5 in their last 16 vs. Atlantic.
Rangers are 2-6 in their last 8 Monday games.
Canadiens are 5-1 in their last 6 Monday games.
Canadiens are 9-2 in their last 11 after scoring 2 goals or less in their previous game.
Home team is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings
http://www.covers.com/pageLoader/pageLoader.aspx?page=/data/nhl/matchups/g2_preview_2.html
http://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/preview?id=2013030312
