The New York Rangers are not as lucky as people think to have been paired with the Montreal Canadiens as their first round opponent.
It’s the perfect situation, right? The Rangers avoid the Penguins, Capitals, and Blue Jackets (all finished with more points than Montreal), until at least the Eastern Conference Finals. Instead, the Rangers will play their way through the Atlantic Division opponents.
Not so fast Rangers. Let’s not forget that the Canadiens have had your number all year and they look to be even tougher than they were before.
Regular Season Precedent
It is important to realize that the teams you play in the regular season will be the same teams come springtime in the playoffs.