These teams enter Thursday in very different spots as New York sits first in the Metropolitan Division standings while Montreal is sixth in the Atlantic Division. Both squads are coming off wins, however, with the Habs blowing out Anaheim 5-0 on Tusday and the Rangers beating Calgary 2-0 on Monday for their fifth straight win.

New York opened as a -312 favourite to win on the NHL odds, with the total set at 6.0.

Canadiens vs. Rangers NHL Betting Odds

The Canadiens and Rangers have alternated wins over their last six meetings with only one of those games decided by more than one goal. Montreal came out on top 4-3 in a shootout at home on January 6 in their first meeting this season. The season series will wrap up back in New York on April 7.

The Habs have done well in New York, winning four of their last five games at Madison Square Garden. They’ve also been a solid cover option this season, going 33-20 against the spread overall, including 17-8 ATS on the road. Montreal has been fairly consistent on the total as they’ve split the Over/Under evenly across their last 10 games.

The Rangers’ five-game winning streak has improved their home record to a healthy 18-7 straight up this season. Covering has been a different story as they are 25-28 ATS overall, including just 10-15 ATS at MSG. Like their opponent, New York has also split the Over/ Under evenly across their last 10 games.

Montreal Canadiens

Montreal absolutely dismantled Anaheim on Tuesday, outshooting the Ducks 38-13 in a 2-0 victory. Nick Suzuki (2G, 1A) and Juraj Slafkovsky (1G, 2A) each had three points, while Jake Evans and Brandon Gignac also found the back of the net. Cayden Primeau earned his first career shutout in his first start since January 20. Suzuki has collected 13 points over an eight-game point streak to extend his team-lead to 51 points (19G, 32A) in 53 games. Slafkovsky is riding a six-game point streak and he has already produced more than twice as many goals (11) and points (27) as his rookie season last year.

The Habs are running an unusual three-goalie approach this season between Sam Montembeault, Jake Allen and Primeau. Montembeault has taken the reins as the No. 1 option while it looks like Allen is the odd man out and he could be moved by the trade deadline. Montembeault will likely start on Thursday. The 27-year-old is 12-8-4 this season with a 3.06 goals-against average and .908 save percentage. Montembeault has had a heavy workload recently, facing 30 or more shots in every outing since the start of January, posting a 5-3-1 record in nine starts with a 3.28 GAA and .915 SV during that stretch.

New York Rangers

The Rangers squeaked out a 2-0 victory against Calgary on Monday to give them a six-point cushion over second-place Carolina in the Metro standings. Will Cuylle opened the scoring in the second period and Jimmy Vesey sealed the game with an empty-netter. Igor Shesterkin made 29 saves for his first shutout of the season. New York is 6-1-1 across their last eight games, but the power play has been a recent an issue. They haven’t scored in their last 17 chances with the man advantage, stretching back seven games, despite having the league’s fifth-ranked power play which is clicking at a 25.6 per cent rate for the season.

It’s tough to say if the Rangers will opt to give Shesterkin a third straight start on Thursday or turn to veteran Jonathan Quick, who has largely outplayed Shesterkin this season. Quick is 12-4-2 with a 2.27 GAA and .919 SV while Shesterkin is 21-12-1 with a 2.78 GAA and .902 SV. Because Quick started three straight games before Shesterkin returned for New York’s last two contests, the Russian netminder could have the edge to start on Thursday.

NHL Prediction: Who Will Win Canadiens vs. Rangers?

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Canadiens Team Leaders

MON

Points	Nick Suzuki 77
+ / -	Johnathan Kovacevic 11
Shots	Cole Caufield 314
Penalty Mins	Arber Xhekaj 81
Wins	Sam Montembeault 16
GAA	Cayden Primeau 2.99

NYR

Points	Artemi Panarin 120
+ / -	Ryan Lindgren 22
Shots	Artemi Panarin 302
Penalty Mins	Jacob Trouba 73
Wins	Igor Shesterkin 36
GAA	Louis Domingue 1

MON

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

NYR

Points	Vincent Trocheck 20
+ / -	Adam Fox 5
Shots	Artemi Panarin 44
Penalty Mins	Jacob Trouba 22
Wins	Igor Shesterkin 10
GAA	Igor Shesterkin 2.34

• Regular Season
• Playoffs

Rangers Team Leaders

MON

Points	Nick Suzuki 77
+ / -	Johnathan Kovacevic 11
Shots	Cole Caufield 314
Penalty Mins	Arber Xhekaj 81
Wins	Sam Montembeault 16
GAA	Cayden Primeau 2.99

NYR

Points	Artemi Panarin 120
+ / -	Ryan Lindgren 22
Shots	Artemi Panarin 302
Penalty Mins	Jacob Trouba 73
Wins	Igor Shesterkin 36
GAA	Louis Domingue 1

MON

Points
+ / -
Shots	Did not qualify
Penalty Mins
Wins
GAA

NYR

Points	Vincent Trocheck 20
+ / -	Adam Fox 5
Shots	Artemi Panarin 44
Penalty Mins	Jacob Trouba 22
Wins	Igor Shesterkin 10
GAA	Igor Shesterkin 2.34

Injuries

Montreal

Arber Xhekaj (D)

out for season Shoulder - 06 / 04 / 24

Kaiden Guhle (D)

Out indefinitely Upper Body - 04 / 04 / 24

Kaiden Guhle (D)

Elig Tues Suspension - 29 / 03 / 24

Joshua Roy (RW)

Mid May Upper Body - 20 / 03 / 24

Juraj Slafkovsky (LW)

Ques Tues Undisclosed - 05 / 03 / 24

Colin White (C)

Prob Thurs Upper Body - 05 / 03 / 24

Johnathan Kovacevic (D)

Prob Tues Undisclosed - 03 / 03 / 24

Jake Evans (C)

Prob Tues Undisclosed - 26 / 02 / 24

Jayden Struble (D)

Prob Tues Lower Body - 22 / 02 / 24

Kaiden Guhle (D)

Prob Tues Undisclosed - 11 / 02 / 24

NY Rangers

Jimmy Vesey (LW)

Ques Mon Upper Body - 24 / 05 / 24

Chris Kreider (LW)

Prob Thurs Undisclosed - 16 / 05 / 24

Filip Chytil (C)

day-to-day Illness - 11 / 05 / 24

Alex Wennberg (C)

Ques Fri Undisclosed - 26 / 04 / 24

Alex Wennberg (C)

Prob Thurs Personal - 26 / 03 / 24

Erik Gustafsson (D)

Ques Wed Upper Body - 25 / 03 / 24

Ryan Lindgren (D)

Prob Thurs Lower Body - 17 / 03 / 24

Matt Rempe (C)

Elig Tues Suspension - 12 / 03 / 24

Adam Fox (D)

Ques Mon Illness - 11 / 03 / 24

Jacob Trouba (D)

Prob Sat Lower Body - 07 / 03 / 24

Injuries

Montreal

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Arber Xhekaj (D)	out for season	Shoulder - 06 / 04 / 24	4-3	5-2	+ -
Xhekaj will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season after undergoing left shoulder surgery.
Kaiden Guhle (D)	Out indefinitely	Upper Body - 04 / 04 / 24	5-3	6-2	+ -
Guhle will miss an undetermined length of time with an upper-body injury.
Kaiden Guhle (D)	Elig Tues	Suspension - 29 / 03 / 24	6-4	6-4	+ -
Guhle is serving a one-game suspension for slashing, and he is eligible to return against the Panthers on Tuesday.
Joshua Roy (RW)	Mid May	Upper Body - 20 / 03 / 24	9-6	8-7	+ -
Roy is out of commission due to an upper-body injury, and he is expected to miss four to six weeks.
Juraj Slafkovsky (LW)	Ques Tues	Undisclosed - 05 / 03 / 24	14-7	10-11	+ -
Slafkovsky has an unknown issue, and it is uncertain if he will lace up for Tuesday's battle with the Predators.
Colin White (C)	Prob Thurs	Upper Body - 05 / 03 / 24	14-7	10-11	+ -
White is on the injured reserve list due to an upper-body injury, but it is likely that he will return against the Bruins on Thursday.
Johnathan Kovacevic (D)	Prob Tues	Undisclosed - 03 / 03 / 24	14-7	10-11	+ -
Kovacevic has been absent from the last three games with an unknown injury, but he is likely to lace up Tuesday versus the Blue Jackets.
Jake Evans (C)	Prob Tues	Undisclosed - 26 / 02 / 24	17-7	12-11-1	+ -
Evans is battling an undefined issue, but it is likely that he will dress for Tuesday's tilt versus the Coyotes.
Jayden Struble (D)	Prob Tues	Lower Body - 22 / 02 / 24	18-8	12-13-1	+ -
Struble has been absent from the previous four games with a lower-body injury, but it is likely that he will face the Predators on Tuesday.
Kaiden Guhle (D)	Prob Tues	Undisclosed - 11 / 02 / 24	21-10	15-15-1	+ -
Guhle is nursing an unspecified injury, but it is likely that he will face the Ducks on Tuesday.

NY Rangers

player (position)	status		ats*current	o/u*	notes
Jimmy Vesey (LW)	Ques Mon	Upper Body - 24 / 05 / 24	4-1	1-4	+ -
Vesey missed the previous four contests due to an upper-body injury, and it is uncertain if he will be active against the Panthers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Chris Kreider (LW)	Prob Thurs	Undisclosed - 16 / 05 / 24	5-2	2-5	+ -
Kreider is dealing with a undisclosed injury, but he is likely to suit up against the Hurricanes on Thursday.
Filip Chytil (C)	day-to-day	Illness - 11 / 05 / 24	7-2	3-6	+ -
Chytil is dealing with an illness, and it is yet to be established if he would be available for Eastern Conference final.
Alex Wennberg (C)	Ques Fri	Undisclosed - 26 / 04 / 24	11-3	7-7	+ -
Wennberg is tending to an unknown ailment, and it remains to be seen if he will face the Capitals in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference first round.
Alex Wennberg (C)	Prob Thurs	Personal - 26 / 03 / 24	16-11	15-12	+ -
Wennberg missed the previous match with a personal matter, but it is predicted that he will face the Avalanche on Thursday.
Erik Gustafsson (D)	Ques Wed	Upper Body - 25 / 03 / 24	16-11	15-12	+ -
Gustafsson has been absent from the last four contests with an upper-body injury, and his status for Wednesday's battle against the Devils is unclear.
Ryan Lindgren (D)	Prob Thurs	Lower Body - 17 / 03 / 24	19-12	19-12	+ -
Lindgren has been shut down with a lower-body injury, but he is expected to return to the ice Thursday versus the Avalanche.
Matt Rempe (C)	Elig Tues	Suspension - 12 / 03 / 24	21-13	20-14	+ -
Rempe has received a four-game suspension for elbowing, and he will be eligible to return Tuesday against the Jets.
Adam Fox (D)	Ques Mon	Illness - 11 / 03 / 24	22-13	20-15	+ -
Fox is nursing an illness, and it is unknown if he will face the Devils on Monday.
Jacob Trouba (D)	Prob Sat	Lower Body - 07 / 03 / 24	22-14	21-15	+ -
Trouba has been idle due to a lower-body injury, but he is projected to return against the Coyotes on Saturday.