Habs put recent success to the test against Rangers

October 24, 12:27 PMMontreal Canadiens ExaminerHeather Engel

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Glen Metropolit picked up two assists in his return to
the lineup on Thursday. (AP Photo/Paul Chiasson)

Where: Bell Centre
When: 7 PM EDT
TV: RDS, CBC (Quebec only), CBC.ca

Without fail, a test is all but a certainty early on in a school year. It gives teachers a chance to see where their students are at and prepare the lesson plans accordingly going forward.

That’s what the Canadiens face tonight, when they host the New York Rangers at the Bell Centre. Montreal’s two-game winning streak and accompanying confidence will be put to the test against New York, which owns the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and sits third in the NHL overall.

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Two weeks and change into the season, the abundance of new faces – including the coaching staff – appear to be settling into a groove. Five straight games have seen the Habs hold their adversaries to no more than 23 shots while 28 has been the fewest on their end during that stretch. The power play connected twice against the Islanders while the penalty kill has denied the opposition on 18 of the last 19 power play opportunities. The lone exception was Daniel Alfredsson’s 5-on-3 marker a week ago.

Perhaps the best news for the Canadiens as they aim to keep on their upward swing was the return of Glen Metropolit on Thursday. His presence allowed head coach Jacques Martin to tinker with his lines and resulted in solid wingers for center Kyle Chipchura. The 2004 first round draft pick saw 11:36 of ice time, his highest total since the debacle in Vancouver, and appeared to be more confident during that time.

While things have been rosy for the Canadiens this past week, the hard work and consistent effort demonstrated over the last two games will need to be front and center against a quality Rangers squad.

Heading into the past week, John Tortorella’s charges owned a seven-game winning streak and had only fallen in their season-opener against the Penguins. And although they’ve lost their last two – against the Sharks and Devils – no one needs to tell the Canadiens not to take them lightly. Especially with a currently-healthy Marian Gaborik and rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto lighting up Broadway.

Gaborik has been earning his keep in a Rangers sweater so far, with the Slovakian speedster bringing seven goals and 13 points into tonight’s tilt. He currently ranks sixth in the league in points.

Del Zotto, meanwhile, is tied for the rookie scoring lead with nine points to his credit and has helped New York turn around last year’s woeful power play (ranked 29th); the 19-year-old has four goals with the man advantage.

Getting off to a good start is key for the Canadiens and they’ll look to take advantage of the Rangers, who have given up 10 goals in the first period, second-most in the NHL. However, if Montreal enjoys a successful start as they did Thursday, the team will need to keep their foot on the gas right to the very end. New York has scored a league-leading 15 goals in the final 20 minutes.

Jaroslav Halak gets the call in goal.

Last season, the Canadiens went 2-1-1 against the Rangers.

Hey, I know you...: It’s reunion night at the Bell Centre as the Canadiens/Rangers June 30th trade centerpieces, Scott Gomez and Christopher Higgins, face off against their former teams for the first time. While Higgins returns to Montreal a newcomer when it comes to lining up against a past team, Gomez is no stranger to the night. The 29-year-old was also on the hosting roster when he first faced the New Jersey Devils in October 2007 after signing with the Rangers that summer. Gomez was held without a point and recorded two shots on goal in New York’s 2-0 win.

Also included in the on-ice reunion is defenseman Paul Mara, who spent two seasons and a bit in New York.

Maxim Lapierre has been tops among the Canadiens in the
faceoff circle this season. (Andre Ringuette/NHLI)

As well, tonight’s contest marks the first time assistant coach Perry Pearn will match up against the Rangers; Pearn held the same position in New York for the better part of five seasons before the team cleared out their coaching staff back in February 2009.

Faceoff finesse: The importance of winning a faceoff is no secret. After all, how often have teams won the draw and scored a goal just seconds later? That bodes well for the Canadiens, who as a team rank 11th in the NHL with a 50.5% success rate. Maxim Lapierre has been the top Hab in that category; his 57.1% efficiency in the circle has him tied for 13th in the league. While he will be on Tomas Plekanec’s wing once again, there’s less of a concern in Plekanec gets tossed from the faceoff.

The Rangers are 22nd in the league in faceoffs at 48.4%.

Higgins singing the Broadway blues: After an injury-plagued and overall disappointing 2008-09 season, Higgins appeared to relish the opportunity for a fresh start when he was traded. It hasn’t gone as he might have hoped; ten games into his career as a New York Ranger, the three-time 20-plus goal-scorer has just two points next to his name. Both were assists and both came in the first two games of the season.