"Home-ice advantage no longer a possibility, the Rangers will have to wait to find out whom they'll oppose in the second round - Pittsburgh or Montreal.
The Canadiens' 5-0 victory over Boston in Game 7 Monday night eliminated the possibility of the Rangers playing Philadelphia, which would have been the only way the second round opened at the Garden. But the Flyers' 4-2 loss to the Capitals extended that series to a seventh game.
Should the Caps win, they'd play Pittsburgh while the Rangers would play the top-seeded Canadiens beginning Thursday or Friday. Should Philadelphia advance, it would play Montreal, with the Rangers facing the Penguins."
Steve Zipay at Newsday adds...
"The Rangers were 3-0-1 against the Canadiens in the regular season. Montreal "is one of those teams that has a quick counterattack, very good speed, can generate offense from a couple different points of view," Rangers coach Tom Renney said. "I still think their power play is formidable, to say the least. They're a well-coached team that understands each of the zones with and without the puck. I don't think they're the type of team who'll leave you a whole lot unless you go after them."The Rangers were 5-3 against the Penguins, who have been idle since sweeping the Senators. "We thought we might be able to do a little bit better job than they [Ottawa] did in some circumstances," said Renney, who has been reviewing that series. "I don't think we want to get into a track meet. We want to manage the puck appropriately and manage our shifts appropriately, play not a period at a time but break it into smaller increments, and let the offensive instincts of our players manifest themselves, but in the framework of a real smart puck team."
...if I had to choose, I'd want Montreal because, despite his shutout last night, rookie goaltender Carey Price showed during the series against Boston that he can be rattled, while the Penguin's Fluery has looked surprisingly solid.
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