Eastern Conference Finals Game One: Conquering the Montreal demons

For the second time in three seasons, the Rangers will play for the Eastern Conference crown. Two years ago, an overachieving (and let’s face it, flawed) team made the best of their three lines and two defensive pairings before getting eliminated in the ECF. This time around, despite playing seven games in both series prior, the Rangers roll four lines and three pairings without fear. They were a trendy pick to win the Cup at the beginning of the year, and were a trendy pick to come out of the East when April rolled around.

Montreal is unlike either opponent the Rangers have faced these playoffs. They are deep, skilled, and have fantastic defense/goaltending. They are built just like the Rangers. Suit wrote a preview of the series, and you should definitely be reading that. Justin also scouted out Carey Price, and the results are not favorable for the Rangers. This is going to be a dogfight.

Rangers Lines:

Forwards

Chris Kreider–Derek Stepan–Rick Nash
Carl Hagelin–Brad Richards–Martin St. Louis
Benoit Pouliot–Derick Brassard–Mats Zuccarello
Brian Boyle–Dominic Moore–Derek Dorsett

Defense

Ryan McDonagh–Dan Girardi
Marc Staal–Anton Stralman
John Moore–Kevin Klein

Henrik Lundqvist gets the start.

Scratches/Injuries: Raphael Diaz (healthy), Ryan Haggerty (healthy), Jesper Fast (healthy) Justin Falk (healthy), J.T. Miller (healthy), Dan Carcillo (healthy)

Game time is 1pm on NBC. Don’t forget to check out our Rangers Tickets link for deals to attend games.