Both the New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens will look a little different in Game 6, even if those tweaks aren’t purely performance-related.
The Canadiens get Brandon Prust back from his two-game suspension for that hit on Derek Stepan. He’s not a huge scorer, obviously, but players occasionally make a big impact when they’re trying to make amends for suspensions and other mistakes.
They won’t be getting everyone back, however, as Alexei Emelin’s “body injury” appears severe enough to sideline him from a second straight contest.
As expected, the New York Rangers will indeed replace a suspended John Moore with defenseman Rafael Diaz.
These aren’t top-line caliber players, yet in the playoffs, sometimes it’s the smaller names who make a big difference.