Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens (43-21-10) will face the New York Rangers (31-35-9) on Thursday night, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET.
This will be the third and final time these teams meet, with the Rangers having won both previous matchups. They were relatively close games, seeing New York emerge with a 4-3 win in October, and a 5-4 win in December. Much has changed since then. The Canadiens are close to qualifying for the playoffs, whereas the Rangers were just the second team to be officially eliminated from the playoff race.
As for Thursday’s meeting, we can expect another high-scoring affair from the Habs. With 3.31 goals per game (all situations), the Canadiens rank third in the NHL in G/PG, whereas the Rangers are a bottom-12 team in goals allowed (3.09). That being said, the Canadiens also allow roughly the same amount of goals per game, a good reminder that the team needs to shore up its defensive play before the playoffs begin.
Goals are fun, and comebacks are entertaining, but a seven-game series is a completely different animal. Defensive miscues are immediately exploited.
Lineup Changes
Rookie netminder Jacob Fowler will face the Rangers, looking to earn his third win in a row. It should also be noted that both Fowler and Jakub Dobes now have save percentages above .900, a complete reversal in goaltending fortunes in Montreal. The first-year goalies deserve much of the credit, but so does Marco Marciano, the team’s new goaltending guru.
Since Marciano’s arrival, the numbers have continued to improve steadily, to the point that it would be fair to suggest hiring him to work in Montreal may have saved the season.
Three injured players took to the ice on Thursday morning, but Kirby Dach, Alexandre Carrier, and Alexandre Texier are not expected to be in uniform as the Canadiens take on the Rangers.
Alexandre Carrier, Alexandre Texier et Kirby Dach sont sur la glace en équipement complet ce matin à Brossard.@DLCoulisses #GoHabsGo #Dach #Carrier #Texier pic.twitter.com/TVc0j0lup2
— Patrick Guillet (@PatGuillet) April 2, 2026
Montreal Canadiens Projected Lineup
Cole Caufield – Nick Suzuki – Juraj Slafkovsky
Alex Newhook – Oliver Kapanen – Ivan Demidov
Zach Bolduc – Jake Evans – Josh Anderson
Joe Veleno – Phillip Danault – Brendan Gallagher
Mike Matheson – Noah Dobson
Jayden Struble- Lane Hutson
Kaiden Guhle – Arber Xhekaj
Jacob Fowler
New York Rangers Projected Lineup
Gabe Perreault – Mika Zibanejad – Alexis Lafreniere
Tye Kartye – J.T. Miller – Conor Sheary
Will Cuylle – Vincent Trocheck – Adam Sykora
Jonny Brodzinski – Noah Laba – Jaroslav Chmelar
Vladislav Gavrikov – Adam Fox
Drew Fortescue – Braden Schneider
Matthew Robertson – Will Borgen
Igor Shesterkin
How To Watch The Habs Vs. The Rangers
The Montreal Canadiens versus the New York Rangers, Thursday, April 2, 2026, will be aired on RDS and TSN2. An instant recap complete with highlights will be available on Sportsnaut as soon as the final whistle is blown.
