Storylines to follow in mouthwatering Original Six matchups on Wednesday
Hockey at its best
There is nothing quite like Original Six hockey, and the fact that we get two Original Six matchups in one night is pretty special, especially given that this will be the first of two meetings between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs this week. That should only add more spice to what is going to be a fierce battle between the top two teams in the North Division, with every single one of the 10 contests between the two oldest rivals in hockey crucial when it comes to seeding for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Toronto is on a three-game win streak and is looking to remain the best team in the National Hockey League, while Auston Matthews will hope to extend his scoring streak to nine straight games as he continues his red hot start to the 2020-21 season.
The Canadiens, on the other hand, have been the second best team in the North Division and boasting good goaltending, plenty of firepower, some young talent and plenty of depth up and down the lineup, should mean that they will push the Maple Leafs for the North Division crown all the way to the bitter end.
It should also be a compelling matchup between the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers, with the B’s on a three-game winning streak and 8-1-2 on the year and sitting atop the East Division. With forward Jake DeBrusk and defenseman Matt Grzelcyk back in the lineup tonight, that will give Boston even more depth and they will be relying on the likes of Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak to get the job done at Madison Square Garden.
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It hasn’t been a great start to the season for the Rangers who are 4-5-2 on the year, and some key players in the ilk of Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider and rookie phenom Alexis Lafreniere have yet to get hot, while they’ve also suffered from some inconsistent play between the pipes. However, having gone 15-for-15 on the penalty kill in their last four games, there is some hope that things are turning around for the New York Rangers and getting a win over their Original Six rival could be the spark they need to turn this around and start to make up some ground in what is an incredibly open East Division. Let the games begin!