Rangers against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Rangers, while they have been getting bodies back from injuries, have had some struggles as of late. While the team was so cohesive earlier this season, due to all the injuries, players that have been away for long periods of time have lost some of the cohesiveness to the team. Bad passes, over-abuse of cycling, and not shooting when they should be. Its been tough for the Rangers the past few games. However, some light has been shown on he Rangers in the past three games. Vinny Prospal, and other players who have gotten back from injury as of late have not lost their scoring touch from being away for so long. This will provide the Rangers with some much needed confidence knowing that the guys who haven't been around a lot this season can still pot the occasional goal. However, in the past games, my distaste for Michael Del Zotto is starting to grow. He has not played up to the level he played at last season by any means, and is bringing down the team because of it. When I talked about the bad passes, and not shooting when they should be, Del Zotto fits those perfectly. In my opinion, he either needs to pull of a dramatic comeback performance, or he will get buried in Connecticut for the rest of the year, or probably longer.
My Diagnosis
In credit to the Canadiens, they have been playing solid hockey since the All Star break. They have won two in a row, and the Rangers have not won since the break. Its hard for me to pick the Rangers tonight because of the way they have struggled, and the surmountable amount of stats that the Canadiens have (especially their home record) that keep me from picking the Rangers today.
My Predictions
Canadiens win 3-2
Max Pacioretty will get the first goal for the Canadiens late in the 1st.
Marc Staal will pull the Rangers even also late in the 1st.
Brian Gionta will get the Canadiens the lead half way through the 2nd.
Benoit Pouliot will get the final goal for the Canadiens coming in the 3rd.
And finally, Mats Zuccarello will get the final goal for the Rangers.
Enjoy the game!
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