MONTREAL — Don’t look ahead.
That’s what the Rangers have to be telling themselves tonight when they visit the injury-riddled Canadiens at Bell Centre, just 24 hours before they host the Penguins at Madison Square Garden.
The Penguins, four points behind the second-place Rangers (42-24-8, 92 points) in the Metropolitan Division, are playing in Detroit this afternoon.
The Canadiens (34-35-6, 74 points) are without goaltender Carey Price, last season’s NHL MVP, defensemen P.K. Subban, Jeff Petry, and Tom Gilbert, and forwards Brendan Gallagher and Brian Flynn.
Antti Raanta (9-5-2, 2.34 GAA, .916 save percentage) will start in goal for the Blueshirts, who have won their last two games at home.