GAME DAY | Rangers – Canadiens: Preview, Lines, Goalies, TV, Fantasy

• P. K. Subban: “No I won’t be playing tomorrow. And just for the record, I will obviously continue to keep skating with my teammates at practice but I think the focus needs to be on the team, not on me. It can’t be about when I’m going to make my return. I don’t even know that myself. I don’t think it’s fair for the rest of the guys to keep asking me when I’m going to come back,”
• Michel Therrien: “Seeing as we have four young defensemen with little experience, it can be difficult to shelter them from the tougher assignments. But it is also important for us to see how the young defensemen respond in difficult situations.”
• Stefan Matteau after absorbing a big hit from Brendan Smith on Thursday: “We’ve become a tight-knit group in here, and it shows that our year isn’t over yet. I would have done the same thing for him. It’s part of the game. I put myself into a vulnerable position and that’s what happened. I don’t blame it on anybody. What’s important is that everything was okay and I was able to return to the ice.”
• The schedule for the Canadiens is simple over the next two weeks as they play every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday until the season wraps up.
• While the Canadiens have a 27-17-3 record versus teams in the Eastern Conference this season, the Rangers have a 26-15-5 record against teams from the East.
• So far this season, the Canadiens have a 12-8-2 record versus teams in the Metropolitan division, while the Rangers have a 13-6-1 record versus teams coming from the Atlantic.
• The Canadiens have maintained their place in the standings for the goals against category, as they are currently in 23rd in the league in goals against, with 216 in 75 games. The Rangers have allowed 194 goals in 74 games and find themselves in 14th in the league.
• The Canadiens have dropped down in the standings for the goals scored category as they are currently in 18th place in the NHL, with 199 over their first 75 games. The Rangers are 6th in this category with 212 goals scored in their first 74 games.

2015-16 statistics

• Top scorers for the Rangers on the road this season are:

1. J. T. Miller (with 26 points in 38 games)
2. Mats Zuccarello (with 21 points in 38 games)
3. Chris Kreider (with 20 points in 37 games)

• Top scorers for the Canadiens at home this season are:

1.  Tomas Plekanec (with 27 points in 37 games)
2. Max Pacioretty and P. K. Subban* (both with 26 points in 37 and 33 games respectively)
3. Alex Galchenyuk (with 23 points in 37 games)

* – Currently injured

Player stats from War-on-Ice, NHL.com and Yahoo Sports.

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