CANADIENS AT RANGERS
Madison Square Garden, Wednesday, 7 p.m., Sportsnet, RDS, TSN Radio 690
The matchup: First place in the Eastern Conference is up for grabs as two division leaders meet for the second time this season. The Canadiens, who lead the Atlantic Division, and the Rangers, who lead the Metropolitan Division, each have 34 points but New York has the edge because it has played one fewer game. The Canadiens posted a 3-0 victory over the Rangers in their home opener at the Bell Centre on Oct. 15.
Juggling act: With Brendan Gallagher (broken fingers) out for at least six weeks and Torrey Mitchell (lower-body injury) sidelined for another 7-10 days, coach Michel Therrien was busy patching up his forward lines. Devante Smith-Pelly returns from one game off with a lower-body injury and joins Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty on the top line. Alex Semin, who filled Gallagher’s spot after the injury Sunday, drops to the fourth line with Brian Flynn and Paul Byron. Sven Andrighetto gets another look on the No. 2 line with Alex Galchenyuk and Lars Eller. Alexei Emelin has been cleared for action after missing five games with a lower-body injury, but he won’t dress for this game.
Take the under: This game features two of the best goaltenders in the world, so don’t expect a lot of scoring. Carey Price is 2-0 since returning from a three-week absence with a lower-body injury and he had the shutout the first time these teams met this year. He has an 11-5-1 record against the Rangers with seven shutouts. The Canadiens have shut out the Rangers in seven of their last 11 regular-season games. The Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist is coming off a 31-save, 3-0 shutout win over Nashville Monday night. He is the NHL leader in wins (12), goals-against average (1.74) and save percentage (.946).
Then again, consider the over: These are two of the most balanced and productive offences in the NHL. The Canadiens are the highest-scoring team with 3.55 goals a game. They have 10 players with at least 10 points and the defencemen have racked up an NHL-high 55 points. The Rangers rank fourth with 3.14 goals a game and they have nine players in double figures led by Mats Zuccarello with 10 goals and 11 assists. Rich Nash has scored four of his six goals in the last two games.
Cash cows: These teams are not only 1-2 in the Eastern Conference, but they are also the most valuable teams in the NHL. The Forbes magazine valuations were revealed Tuesday and playoff success and the $1-billion renovation of MSG has the Rangers valued at $1.2 billion. The Canadiens are No. 2 at $1.18 billion.
What’s next: The Canadiens will play a back-to-back set against the New Jersey Devils with games Friday at the Prudential Centre in Newark, N.J. and Saturday at the Bell Centre.
