THN Why The Wolf Pack Is Succeeding The New York Rangers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-rangers/new-york-rangers/getting-to-the-bottom-of-rangers-5-on-5-woes] (26-10-1) against the Montreal Canadiens (16-17-5). It is the first time the two original six clubs will compete against one another this season. The Blueshirts surrendered six goals to the Hurricanes on Tuesday and rebounded against the Blackhawks on Thursday night with a 4-1 victory. New York is 7-3-0 in its last ten games and 13-5-1 on the road. The puck is set to drop at the Bell Center at 7:00 p.m. Following tonight's game, the Rangers host the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, January 8th at Madison Square Garde. That contest will feature two of the top five teams in the NHL and two of the top ten point scorers. Morning Skate Updates: The Rangers skated today at the Bell Center at 11:30. According to Colin Stephenson [https://twitter.com/ColinSNewsday/status/1743686234885529760] of Newsday, Jonathan Quick will get the start in net tonight (9-2-1, 2.41 GAA, .917 SV%). Kaapo Kakko skated with the team in Montreal, the plan reported earlier in the week. The 22-year-old forward suffered a lower-body injury on November 27th and began skating in a red non-contact jersey on Thursday. Rangers Projected Lines: Kreider-Zibanejad-Wheeler Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere Brodzinski-Bonino-Othmann Cuylle-Goodrow-Vesey Lindgren-Fox Miller-Trouba Quick Canadiens Projected Lines: Caulfield-Suzuki-Slavkovsky Gallagher-Evans-Ylonen Anderson-Monahan-Kovacevic Pezzetta-Stephens-Armia Matheson-Savard Guhle-Barron Struble-Harris Montembault Rangers Notes: Artemi Panarin enters the contest with 27 points in his last 19 games, and on his opposite wing, Alexis Lafreniere returns to his hometown of Quebec with seven points in his last eight games. Chris Kreider is riding an eight-game point streak, the longest of his career, scoring four goals in that span. Canadiens Notes: Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki enters the contest with 34 points in 38 games. He skates on a line with Cole Caufield who has 11 goals on the year and 2022 1st overall pick Juraj Slavkovsky who has 14 points this season. The Canadiens are without Tanner Pearson, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Christian Dvorak, and Rafael Harvey-Pinard. Betting Corner: Favorite: Rangers (-225) Underdog: Canadiens (+184) Total: 6.5 Spread: Rangers (-1.5) Information from the Fanduel sportsbook [https://www.fanduel.com/research/rangers-vs-canadiens-nhl-prediction-point-spread-over-under-and-betting-trends-for-1-6-2024]. How To Watch: Tonight's game is available to watch on MSG Networks. TOP STORIES:
