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RANGERS (4-3-0) at CANADIENS (6-1-0)
TV: TVA, CITY, MSG
MONTREAL -- It promises to be an emotional night at Bell Centre when the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens face off against each other Saturday for the first time since their exciting meeting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Rangers came out on top last spring when they defeated the Canadiens in six games in the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Final.
"They definitely have a skilled group over there," Montreal forward Max Pacioretty said. "And they have a little bit different team than they had last year, but they're a young team like us now, a lot of young guys who are trying to make a name for themselves in the League, and I think we have the same identity as them. We want to pay a fast game and obviously we weren't happy with the results last year and we have a lot to prove now."
Carey Price will make his sixth straight start for the Canadiens. It will be the first time he has faced the Rangers since he was injured in Game 1 of the conference final. Price sustained a knee injury and was sidelined for the rest of the series after New York forward Chris Kreider slid into him.
Pacioretty said that the two points at stake in the game are too crucial for the Canadiens to single out the Rangers forward for any special attention.
"Obviously we weren't happy with what happened last year," Pacioretty said. "Every point is so important in this League. You can't let them slip away. You can't give up a power play for no reason, so obviously you play him hard like everyone else, and I think games are too valuable to let things like that get into your mind."
Kreider was not concerned about facing any sort of payback.
"It was a hard-fought series last spring, but I don't expect a ton of carryover," Kreider said. "It's a long time ago now, and obviously there's those two points on the line."
The Rangers will have the family and friends of rookie forward Anthony Duclair behind them in the crowd. The native of Montreal said he has a strong contingent of supporters behind him for his hometown debut.
Duclair was on hand at Bell Centre last spring for a playoff game. A Canadiens fan growing up, he was cheering for the Rangers, who chose him in the third round (No. 80) in the 2013 NHL Draft.
"I was envisaging myself playing for this organization as soon as I got drafted," Duclair, 19, said. "I was pretty grateful to get invited last year to the playoffs, and it was a great experience for myself."
The Canadiens will take part in a coordinated pregame ceremony with the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs honoring two Canadian soldiers that were killed this week in separate incidents on Canadian soil, including one in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec on Monday.
Here are the projected lineups:
RANGERS
Chris Kreider - Kevin Hayes - Rick Nash
Mats Zuccarello - Derick Brassard - Martin St. Louis
Carl Hagelin - Dominic Moore - Anthony Duclair
Tanner Glass - Chris Mueller - Lee Stempniak
Scratched: Michael Kostka, Ryan Malone
Injured: Dan Boyle (fractured hand), Derek Stepan (non-displaced fractured fibula)
CANADIENS
Max Pacioretty - David Desharnais - Brendan Gallagher
Alex Galchenyuk - Tomas Plekanec - Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau
Rene Bourque - Lars Eller - Dale Weise
Brandon Prust - Manny Malhotra - Travis Moen
Scratched: Jiri Sekac
Injured: None
Status report: Duclair returns to the lineup after he was a healthy scratch for the past two games. He will play right wing on a line with Moore and Hagelin. Stempniak takes Malone's place on the right side of Mueller and Glass. … Sekac will sit for a second straight game as Canadiens coach Michel Therrien goes with the same lineup he used Tuesday. The Canadiens assigned defenseman Nathan Beaulieu and forward Michael Bournival to Hamilton of the American Hockey League on Wednesday.
Who's hot: Nash's eight goals are tied for the most in Rangers history through the first seven games. Hall of Fame forward Bill Cook accomplished the feat in 1931-32, and Don Murdoch matched it in 1976-77. … Galchenyuk has two goals and four points in his past three games. He has three goals and an assist in five games against the Rangers.
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