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How the New York Rangers Beat the Montreal Canadiens

By Alyssa Naimoli

Apr 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) celebrates with center Mika Zibanejad (93) after his game tying goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 2, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) celebrates with center Mika Zibanejad (93) after his game tying goal against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Rangers Will Begin Their Series Against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday When the Stanley Cup Playoffs Officially Begin. The Series Won’t be Easy But the Rangers Have Some Moves on Their Side.

The New York Rangers will face off against the Montreal Canadiens in Montreal on Wednesday when they begin their first round playoff match-up. The Canadiens have topped the Rangers during the season, but the Rangers have some winning strategies that can top Montreal in the series.

This match-up won’t be easy and the Rangers will need to bring their A-game, but New York has some secret weapons that can give them the edge in the match-up.

The New York Rangers’ Winning Strategy

The Speed and Offense Game

The Rangers have a speedy offensive style to their game and this is the style that can best contradict the play of the Canadiens. Keeping speed and production high will give New York the best edge over Montreal.

The Rangers are very capable of scoring and players like Chris Kreider, Michael Grabner and Mats Zuccarello will play important roles in the team’s offensive presence. Not to mention, the Rangers’ ability to continuously roll four lines that know how to score will be a big benefit.

With at least one goal-scorer per line, the Rangers have the advantage of preventing the Canadiens from knowing who might end up going towards the net. Montreal’s defense will have a harder time shutting down plays if they aren’t exactly sure who might take the shot. In the Rangers’ case, the team has several players who have the ability to grab a goal at any given time.

Players like Rick Nash, J.T. Miller and Derek Stepan are a few obvious names who come up when you think goal-scorer, but players like Mika Zibanejad, Jimmy Vesey and Oscar Lindberg are also guys who know how to get the puck in the net.

In all, New York has speed and several players in the lineup who can score. A quick game with too many producers to shut down can become frustrating for the Canadiens.

Goalie Perks

Okay, so the Canadiens have Carey Price in net who is one of the best goalies around. But, the Rangers have Henrik Lundqvist in goals and, despite some ups and downs, he’d also one of the greatest goalies around.

Lundqvist has been subject to some inconsistent play this season but lately, he’s been looking to the playoffs with a better mindset and has been putting forward better play. He finds a way to rise to the occasion for the postseason and this year is no different.

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Lundqvist also knows that his Stanley Cup window is closing with the team, which will only make his play in the playoffs this season that much stronger. He wants to take the Cup home and there may be no better time.

Not to mention, the Rangers have made some changes on the blue line with the midseason addition of Brendan Smith and new faces in the defensive pairs, like Brady Skjei and Nick Holden, have had some positives.

Lundqvist is ready for the postseason and if he can keep confident and stay in the right mindset, he will have a good performance. Not to mention, Lundqvist has a very reliable backup in Antti Raanta, who has been more than reliable for the Rangers this season.

Promoting Depth

The speed and skill of the Rangers roster can be unlimited if the team holds up their A-game. The team has great depth which gives them four effective lines to rotate through the game with some reliable players off the ice.

Despite spending time in the press box, players like Matt Puempel, Brandon Pirri and Adam Clendening have been solid for the Rangers when called upon. New York has a good roster which lets the team adjust lines on a nightly basis for in-game needs.

Having the ability to fully rely on all four lines and the guys off the ice is very important. The Rangers can keep moving players around and don’t need to worry about their top line being shut down. After all, when your team is so good at producing, which line is the top line?

Time to Bring Yur A-Game

The Rangers need to play like themselves. This team has a lot of potential and if they can put forward their best play and get into the playoff mindset, they can get through the Canadiens.

The best way to beat out a big team like the Canadiens is speed, skill and adjustment. New York needs to bring a speedy game with rotating production; they need each player in their scoring mindset and they need to adjust throughout the game to beat out Montreal’s defense.

Beating out Price might not seem like an easy feat, but the Rangers have done it before and this goalie gets easily frustrated. Price has had several bursts of frustration this season and often just Kreider’s presence in the rink is enough to rile this team, and Price, up. If the Rangers get to net enough, Price will grow frustrated and they’ll be able to beat him.

Next: NHL Playoffs: Oilers vs. Sharks Preview

This team needs to get ready to be quick and versatile. Beating the Canadiens isn’t impossible but, like against any team in the playoffs, the Rangers need to bring their A-game.

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