The NHL playoffs 2014 east finals are back live for Game 6 as the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers matchup at Madison Square Garden and the series is now 3-2 and the matchup starts up at 8 pm ET on the NBC Sports Network and has a live stream online from the radio as NY tries to close things out and clinch a Stanley Cup spot for the first time since 1994.
The Rangers were beaten soundly despite a nice comeback in Game 5 in Montreal and now they return home looking to bounce back and if they have a good game, they are just 60 minutes from making it into the Stanley Cup and it would be the first time in 20 years for the franchise. The team last was in the Cup finals when they won in 1994 and the closest they have come since then was two appearances in the conference finals in 1997 and 2012 that ended in defeats and now they are back in position to get to the finals. The team just pulled off a 3-1 comeback against the Penguins in the second round, meaning they do not want to play a Game 7 against the Canadiens, especially after the way they performed in Montreal for the last game.
The Rangers got a boost in Game 5 from the return of Derek Stepan after he had his jaw broken on an illegal hit from Brandon Prust and he scored two goals in that game, but the team lost and now Prust returns for the Canadiens. The Rangers will be without one of their own players after John Moore was suspended for his elbow in the last game and that will make things tougher on D for New York and that could be a factor on Thursday.
Henrik Lundqvist was not at his best in Game 5 in Montreal after winning the first two games of the series there and that forced head coach Alain Vigneault to pull him for Cam Talbot at the end of the game. Lundqvist is still the best goalie in the game and he was pulled back in the Flyers series in Game 6 and then came back even better in Game 7 while making 26 saves on 27 shots and the Rangers need him to do that once again on Thursday night for any chance at winning. Players like Martin St. Louis, Rick Nash and Brad Richards are all elite talents and the Blue Shirts need them to play like that on Thursday night.
The Rangers have had to play a ton of games since their first two series went seven games and now it looks like Montreal has some momentum back after looking defeated in the first two games. The Rangers know what is at stake and they have a chance to make it to the championship and now Montreal will have to try and stave off another elimination chance. The team comes in after playing seven in the previous series against Boston and before that they were dominant against the Lighting, winning in a four game sweep.
Check here for the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers radio coverage for the NHL playoffs.