N.Y. Rangers at Canadiens

At least the Habs won’t face Henrik Lundqvist. Here are five things you should know about Saturday’s game (7 p.m., SN1, CITY, TVA Sports, TSN 690 Radio), writes

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 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 Henrik Lundqvist made 34 saves. 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. 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 been at the Bell Centre. Carey Price is struggling, but he is 15-6-1 against the Rangers. 3. Mete looking for a home Victor Mete, whose entry-level 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 in Brossard, but he’s looking for a house. 4. Desharnais returns Former Canadien David Desharnais returns to the Bell Centre for the first time since he was traded to Edmonton for Brandon Davidson this year. Desharnais, whose hard work and skill set were never fully appreciated here, 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 draws. 5. Get some size in front After scoring two goals in a 5-1 win over Florida Tuesday, the Canadiens’ power play reverted to form Thursday and was 0-for4. Montreal doesn’t have the worst power play in the league, but it’s close with a success rate of 12.5 per cent. One solution might be 6-foot-6, 225-pound Michael McCarron. If nothing else, he’ll make it difficult for goaltenders to see around him.