New York Rangers vs Montreal Canadians: 5 Players To Watch
Chris Kreider is an important player for the Rangers. He was their leading scorer in the regular season despite playing in only 75 games. He scored 28 goals and added 25 assists as well. He is a big part of the Rangers game plan and someone the Canadiens will look to neutralize.
Another thing to keep an eye on with Kreider is how he handles the crowd. The last time these teams faced off in the postseason Kreider injured the Canadiens goalie, Carey Price. Kreider fell on a fast break and went skate first into Price.
That was the last we saw of Price in that series. He was forced from that game and was unable to play again. The Rangers went on to win that series, but things could have been different had Price been in goal instead of Dustin Tokarski.
You can be sure that Kreider will hear it from the Montreal faithful. Even though the Canadiens coach said that it was not Kreider’s fault, as he was hit by a Canadiens player, you can be sure the crowd will let him have it anyway.
He will have to try and tune that noise out as much as possible. The Bell Centre is hostile enough to play in during the postseason without any added motivation. Kreider can’t let the fans get to him, as the Rangers need him to be playing at the top of his game to knock off Montreal.