The NHL playoffs standings and schedule for the postseason has the NY Rangers and Montreal Canadiens into the eastern conference finals and the Game 1 matchup starts on Saturday at 1 pm ET from NBC and the series is tied 0-0 as the two teams prepare and both Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist will have pressure to give their teams wins in the first matchup.
The Canadiens finished four points better in the overall standings than the Rangers and the teams each finished behind the division winners in their divisions, with Montreal coming in third behind Boston and NY second behind the Penguins. The first game will be at the Bell Centre in Montreal and it comes after the Canadiens won in four games over the Tampa Bay Lighting and in seven games over the Boston Bruins.
The Rangers had to play seven games in each of their rounds, defeating the Philadelphia Flyers at home and then defeating the Penguins on the road. There were tons of streaks at stake and now the Penguins are 2-7 all-time at home in Game 7 matchups and they have lost four in a row. The Rangers on the other hand have won five in a row and Henrik Lundqvist now has a record for wins in those games and in his past two he has allowed one goal. The team has played well in Game 7 matchups and now they will have to go on the road again and that has been a safe haven for the Rangers over the past two series and especially against the Penguins.
The story surrounding Martin St. Louis and his mother will get some play, especially because he is from Canada and will be travelling to his home city for this series. The Rangers had 96 points this season while the Canadiens finished with 100 points and the two teams are evenly matched and have stars on both ends of the ice. The Rangers will need players like Brad Richards, Rick Nash and Martin St. Louis to step up and they have the chance to make it to the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1994 when they won it to break their streak.
The Rangers won the Cup 20 years ago and now they are back into the eastern conference finals for the second time in three seasons and they are the only NHL team to advance to the second round over the last three seasons. The Ducks and Kings are playing game 7 and they will matchup against the Blackhawks out west, while Montreal and NY have an Original Six battle and that could lead to another Original Six finals if the Hawks win and they had one last year with the Bruins. The Bruins won over the Rangers last season and that is one reason why the team is pleased that the Canadiens advanced, although that series will not be easy by any stretch.
