Montreal Canadiens vs. New York Rangers Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Eastern Conference First Round Game Six – April 22, 2017
The page has now been turned after that 3-2 overtime defeat in Game 5. The Canadiens are now the ones that are looking really off, as they have dropped back-to-back contests to be just one loss away from elimination. On top of that, Game 6 will be held under Madison Square Garden’s rowdy crowd.
Arturi Lekhonen scored a goal and assisted on the one Brendan Gallagher had – it was the latter’s first goal and the former’s first assist of the postseason. Their scores, at the time it was made, put the Habs on the lead, but the team was unable to hold on.
The team’s top scorer in the regular season, Max Pacioretty, is still goal-less in the playoffs. He is now 0-for-24 on the series.
Carey Price, meanwhile, gave up key goals for the second-consecutive contest. The former Hart Trophy winner has allowed five scores in his last two (63-for-68) after countless good showings all year.
Just days ago, the Rangers were booed out of the building and looked like they were about to take another early vacation. Now, they are just one win away from advancing. With the next game being held in front of their fans, they are obviously in a favorable position to do so.
They had a heck of a fight in Game 5, so much so that they won despite leading the game for a grand total of ZERO SECONDS (they won after a goal in OT). The game-winner was courtesy of Mario Zibanejad, who scored after a missed shot attempt from Chris Kreider bounced into his lap 14:22 into the extra period.
Jesper Fast and Brady Skjei scored the two other goals for the Blueshirts – Fest has now found the back of the net in two-straight contests. Key scorers Krieder, Michael Grabner, and Rick Nash were all quiet and collectively went 0-for-9, eight of which came from Nash.
As for the defense, the Rangers were quite aggressive yet again. Along with 51 hits, they also had more takeaways than the Habs for the fourth time in a row (44 since Game 2). It was then greatly complimented by Henrik Lundqvist, as he outplayed his Canadiens counterpart, stopping 34 of the 36 shots he faced.
