Emil Heineman will wear the Canadian uniform for a third time, but for the first time at the Bell Centre. For the visit of the New York Rangers, Martin St-Louis will return to a more traditional formation of twelve forwards and six defensemen.
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The Journal offers you five elements to watch for this meeting against the best team in the Eastern Association.
1 – Kovacevic in the stands
Johnathan Kovacevic will watch a third game this season from the press channel. Kovacevic had played the last three games in a formation with seven defenders. He played just 8:26 in the 6-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
Once again, Jayden Struble retained his place among the top six on the blue line.
2 – Montembeault in front of the net
Jake Allen against the Sabres, Samuel Montembeault against the Rangers. In 2024, as in 2023, the rotation continues with the Habs goalkeepers.
Jonathan Quick will be the starting goalie in the Rangers camp. In his first season with the Blue Shirts, Quick found the fountain of youth with a 9-2-1 record, a 2.41 GAA and a .917 save percentage.
3 – Harvey-Pinard in training
Martin St-Louis had entrusted his players to optional training Saturday morning. Among the players present, there was Rafaël Harvey-Pinard. As a sign of a return to play in the coming days, he wore a red sweater, the same color as several of his teammates.
With a lower body injury, Harvey-Pinard has not played since November 14.
4 – The Panarin threat
There is nothing new with Artemi Panarin. He still remains one of the most dangerous wingers in the NHL. Panarin leads the Rangers in scoring with 53 points (24 goals, 29 assists) in 37 games. Mika Zibanejad follows him in this category, but he remains quite far behind at 38 points.
5 – The Trouba train
St. Louis has described the Rangers as one of the best teams in the NHL due to their dominance on special teams. They are 2nd in numerical superiority (30.4%) and 7th in numerical penalty (84.1%). But it’s not just that that makes the Rangers a formidable team.
Toughness-wise, they have one of the most physical defenders in Jacob Trouba. The New York captain has already distributed 87 hits.
“When you play like a player like him, you have to say something about it,” St-Louis said. It’s the same thing when you face Gudas (Radko). »