Montreal Canadiens (12-11-6, fourth in the Atlantic Division) vs. New York Rangers (14-10-3, sixth in the Metropolitan Division)
New York; Friday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Artemi Panarin leads New York into a matchup against Montreal. He currently ranks ninth in the NHL with 34 points, scoring 13 goals and totaling 21 assists.
The Rangers are 11-7-2 in conference matchups. New York ranks seventh in the league averaging 5.7 assists per game, led by Panarin with 0.8.
The Canadiens are 6-7-6 in conference games. Montreal has allowed 22 power-play goals, killing 75% of opponent opportunities.
In their last meeting on Nov. 23, New York won 6-5. Brendan Lemieux recorded a team-high 2 points for the Rangers.
TOP PERFORMERS: Panarin leads the Rangers with 21 assists and has recorded 34 points this season. Lemieux has four goals and two assists over the last 10 games for New York.
Tomas Tatar has collected 24 total points while scoring nine goals and totaling 15 assists for the Canadiens. Phillip Danault has totaled seven assists over the last 10 games for Montreal.
LAST 10 GAMES: Canadiens: 1-6-3, averaging 2.6 goals, 4.2 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.8 penalty minutes while giving up 4.2 goals per game with a .863 save percentage.
Rangers: 6-3-1, averaging three goals, 5.5 assists, 4.4 penalties and 11 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game with a .924 save percentage.
Rangers Injuries: Marc Staal: out (ankle).
Canadiens Injuries: Jesperi Kotkaniemi: day to day (upper body), Victor Mete: out (lower body).
