5 THINGS ABOUT AN ORIGINAL SIX RIVALRY
The Habs won’t face their playoff nemesis, goalie Henrik Lundqvist, when they host the Rangers on Saturday at the Bell Centre. Here’s what else you need to know ahead of the game, writes Pat Hickey
1 Battle of last-place teams
Both teams have struggled this season. The Canadiens dropped to 2-7-1 after a 4-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night and are last in the Atlantic Division.
The Rangers are last in the Metropolitan Division with a 3-6-2 mark. The Rangers beat the Canadiens 2-0 on Oct. 8 as Lundqvist made 34 saves for the shutout.
2 Pavelec starts for Rangers
While Lundqvist shut out the Canadiens in their last meeting, Ondrej Pavelec will get a second consecutive start after beating Phoenix on Thursday in his first start as a Ranger. The decision might have something to do with the fact Lundqvist is 15-17-3 against Montreal in the regular season and very few of those wins have come at the Bell Centre. Carey Price is struggling, but he’s 15-6-1 against the Rangers.
3 Mete looking for a home
Victor Mete, whose entrylevel contract kicked in Thursday when he played his 10th NHL game, was given some good news Friday when general manager Marc Bergevin told him he’s not going back to junior hockey.
The 19-year-old has been living in a hotel near the practice facility in Brossard, but he’s looking for a house for himself and his mother, who’s moving from Toronto.
4 Desharnais returns
Former Canadien David Desharnais will return to the Bell Centre for the first time since the Hans traded him to Edmonton for Brandon Davidson last season. Desharnais, whose hard work and skill set were never fully appreciated in Montreal, has two goals and three assists in 11 games. He has taken 11 shots, which gives him a shooting percentage of 18.2 per cent and he has been a beast in the faceoff circle, winning 62.75 per cent of his draws.
5 Get some size in front
After scoring two goals in a 5-1 win over Florida on Tuesday, the Canadiens’ power play reverted to form Thursday and went 0-for-4. Montreal doesn’t have the worst power play in the league, but it’s close, with a success rate of 12.5 per cent. Net presence continue to be a problem, but one solution might be 6-foot-6, 225-pound Michael McCarron. If he does nothing else, he’ll make it difficult for goaltenders to see around him.