New York Rangers @ Montreal Canadiens

Saturday, 2:00 p.m.

Bell Centre

Rangers Record: 29-21-4

Canadiens Record: 29-18-5

On, Feb. 5, the Rangers travel to Montreal for an Original Six matinee match-up with the Canadiens. The Rangers are coming off a loss against the Devils, which included the pulling of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, historically very successful against New Jersey. New York has yet to win since the All-Star break, despite the return of most of its extensive list of injured players. Montreal, contrarily, are 8-2-2 over their last 12 games, making a surging comeback into the playoff battle and sitting both one place and one point ahead of the Rangers with the sixth spot in the East.

The Rangers are finally getting close to healthy, with the post-break return of defenseman Dan Girardi and forwards Ryan Callahan, Brandon Dubinsky and, most recently, Vinny Prospal. Prospal played in his first game of the season on Thursday, after undergoing off-season knee surgery. In his first game back, Prospal was able to score a goal, continuing the Rangers’ just-short comeback from a 3-0 deficit. Callahan also scored on Thursday, making it the second straight game in which he has recorded a goal since returning from injury. 

Rangers’ forwards Derek Boogaard, Erik Christensen and Ruslan Fedotenko remain unavailable to play due to injury. The Canadiens will likely be without forward Michael Cammalleri, which is a benefit to the Rangers, since he has previously has great success against New York, tallying 11 points (6G, 5A) in only eight games. 

The Canadiens have been on fire lately, winning their only two games since the All-Star break and earning at least a point in four of their last five games. Post-break games always have playoff implications, and this match-up is no different. With the fifth through ninth spots in the East separated by only eight points, every win is of the utmost importance, especially those against close competitors. This game is a must-win for both teams—expect the intensity, always high in an Original Six game, to be at playoff-level. For certain, this is not going to be a lazy Saturday afternoon.