‹SUN FEB 14›
2 games
Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 11 February, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

New York Rangers at Montréal Canadiens: game preview

Puck drop14 Feb · 1:00 PM ET
VenueCentre Bell
All-time meetings724 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-nine points apart last season

NY Rangers finished last season 30th in the league on 77 points. Montréal finished 6th on 106.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 725

Across 724 completed games, Montréal lead the head-to-head 439-247-38.

All-time record439-247-38Montréal's record in the series
Meetings played724This is number 725
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2NY Rangers
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
2 Apr 2026MTL 3 – NYR 2——MTL
13 Dec 2025MTL 4 – NYR 5 OT——NYR
18 Oct 2025NYR 4 – MTL 3——NYR
19 Jan 2025NYR 4 – MTL 5 OT——MTL
30 Nov 2024MTL 3 – NYR 4——NYR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY RangersMontréal
18 Oct 20253-3-1 · 7 pts12th4-2-0 · 8 pts10th
13 Dec 202516-13-4 · 36 pts18th16-11-4 · 36 pts16th
2 Apr 202631-36-9 · 71 pts29th44-21-10 · 98 pts6th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 18 Oct 2025, NY Rangers were 12th in the league and Montréal 10th. By 2 Apr 2026 it was 29th and 6th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

NY Rangers out-attempted Montréal 184 to 152

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New York Rangers

184 att · 75 on goal · 11 G · 14.7%
Crease19 att · 2 G
Slot61 att · 4 G
Wing66 att · 4 G
Point31 att · 1 G
Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

Montréal Canadiens

152 att · 67 on goal · 10 G · 14.9%
Crease6 att · 1 G
Slot58 att · 3 G
Wing55 att · 5 G
Point30 att · 1 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

NY Rangers have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

NY RangersMontréal
3.44xG for per game2.61
2.77xG against per game3.61
55.4%xG share42.0%
−1.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals+4.2
+5.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−3.2

This season: 5 games for NY Rangers, 3 for Montréal. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

NY Rangers

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2624.7% · 5th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2787.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.9% · 15th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.2% · 151/289
Drawn · 2026-2714 (2.80/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Montréal

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2710.0%
Power play · 2025-2623.1% · 10th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2775.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2678.2% · 18th
Faceoffs · 2026-2753.9% · 96/178
Drawn · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2712 (4.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
93Mika Zibanejad51451.00
94Gabe Perreault52240.80
14Nick Suzuki32462.00
22Chris Kreider31341.33
76Zachary Bolduc33031.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
23Adam Fox50551.00
5Sean Durzi51120.40
48Lane Hutson30441.33
8Mike Matheson30110.33
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 12 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 13 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NY Rangers crease

NYR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 11 Feb

Igor Shesterkin.9264 GP · 3-1-0 · GSAx +4.6
Dylan Garand1.0001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.4

No appearances against Montréal in the last meetings.

Montréal crease

MTL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 11 Feb

Jakub Dobes.8573 GP · 1-1-1 · GSAx −3.0

No appearances against NY Rangers in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.3 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

2 Apr 20265 · MTL 3–2 NYR
13 Dec 20259 · MTL 4–5 NYR
18 Oct 20257 · NYR 4–3 MTL
19 Jan 20259 · NYR 4–5 MTL
30 Nov 20247 · MTL 3–4 NYR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
NY Rangers3.201.602.903.05
Montréal4.004.673.453.12

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.3Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings7.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

NY Rangers · injuries

Adam SykoraLower BodyIRReturn25 Jan
Aidan ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct
Joe VelenoLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct
Joonas KorpisaloLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct

Montréal · injuries

Bryce PickfordUndisclosedIRReturn17 Oct
Ivan DemidovLower BodyIRReturn31 Oct
Kaiden GuhleGroinIRReturn20 Oct
Lucas CondottaUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Oliver KapanenLower BodyOutReturn8 Oct
6 Oct · NYR

Recalled C Gabriel Beaudoin from Hartford (AHL). Placed C Joe Veleno on injured reserve.

5 Oct · NYR

Placed D Matthew Robertson on waivers.

1 Oct · NYR

Placed G Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve. Recalled G Dylan Garand from Hartford (AHL).

27 Sep · MTL

Placed D Reilly Walsh, D Maksymilian Szuber, D Ethan Samson, C Sam Poulin, RW Sasha Pastujov, C Hunter McKown, G Kaapo Kähkönen, LW Brett Berard, and RW Alex Belzile on waivers for the purpose of loaning them to Laval (AHL).

12 Sep · MTL

Signed F Chris Kreider to a one-year contract.

9 Aug 2026 · MTL

Loaned F Vinzenz Rohrer to EV Zug (Switzerland).

Injury report
#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD
#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD
#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG
#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD
Full draft
#26Gleb PugachyovRound 1 · Nizhny Novgorod Jr.RW
#57Timofei RuntsoRound 2 · VictoriaD
#93Cooper CleavesRound 3 · DartmouthD
#117Brayden KlimpkeRound 4 · SaskatoonD
Full draft

Updated after every final