When the Stanley Cup playoffs begin on Wednesday, the annual flood of casual fans hungry for playoff hockey will be treated to two Original Six rivals. What better way to begin?
Rangers vs. Canadiens: All eyes on Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist in Game 1
The elite netminders could make this a long series.
Luckily, that’s just one of many fun narratives to cling to as the Montreal Canadiens host the New York Rangers in Game 1. Top of mind, though, is the goalies. No, not Chris Kreider running Carey Price in the 2014 playoffs. Though Rangers fans are already worried about retribution for that.
No, Game 1 is about the goalies themselves. Price and Henrik Lundqvist are the biggest names in the series with the best chance to set a tone for the next few games in Game 1.
What we learned in the season series
Montreal swept the season series, but not easily. The Habs needed three late goals in 62 seconds to win the first game and a shootout to win the second before throttling the Rangers on March 4 in the finale. We pegged this series as a duel between high-flying offenses, and the season supports that.
Key player in Game 1
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Henrik Lundqvist. For once, “King Henrik” enters a playoff series as the second-best goalie involved. Carey Price has supplanted him as the best goalie in the Eastern Conference, and an up-and-down season from Lundqvist helped cement that perception.
Lundqvist is more than capable of still saving the Rangers’ bacon, but keeping pace with Price in Game 1 would send a strong message that he’s ready to give Montreal one heck of a time.
What will decide Friday night’s game?
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Whether the Canadiens can find a way to match the Rangers’ constant line-shuffling. Alain Vigneault is not averse to spreading his best players around the lineup, which could test the Canadiens’ depth on defense. It’s the first real test for the Canadiens’ trade deadline grabs on the blue line.
Who takes home Game 1?
Hard to say. Both clubs finished the regular season with strong runs. The difference might be that Carey Price was incredible at home this year at even-strength (.938 SV%) but not so much when the Habs were short-handed (sub-.900). The bad news is that the Rangers have one of the deadliest road power play units in the game, scoring at a 23.1 percent clip this season.
Something tells us Price will be put to the test in Game 1 ... and that he’ll come up big. Give us the Canadiens, but settle in for a long, back-and-forth series.
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