{"id":536561,"date":"2026-04-02T13:04:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:04:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/536561\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T13:04:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:04:28","slug":"nhl-game-preview-montreal-canadiens-at-new-york-rangers-with-line-combinations-04-02-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/536561\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Game Preview: Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers with Line Combinations 04\/02\/2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\tNHL Game Preview: Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers with Line Combinations 04\/02\/2026 | Inside The Rink<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"skip-link screen-reader-text\" href=\"#content\">Skip to content<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/\" class=\"custom-logo-link\" rel=\"home nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"90\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1764203590_941_Clean-Logo-1.png\" class=\"custom-logo\" alt=\"Inside The Rink Logo\" decoding=\"async\"  \/><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/boxscorejunkie.com\/nhl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775135064_340_cropped-Life-Insurance.png .webp\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/\" rel=\"home nofollow noopener\" itemprop=\"item\" target=\"_blank\">Home<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/category\/nhl\/\" itemprop=\"item\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NHL<\/a>NHL Game Preview: Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers with Line Combinations 04\/02\/2026<\/p>\n<p>          <img width=\"1200\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NHL-Game-Preview-Montreal-Canadiens-at-New-York-Rangers-with-Line-Combinations-04.02.2026.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-post-image\" alt=\"NHL Game Preview: Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers with Line Combinations 04\/02\/2026\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"  \/><\/p>\n<p>(Photo by: Heather Khalifa-AP)<\/p>\n<p>Montreal Canadiens (43-21-10, 96 pts) at New York Rangers (31-35-9, 71 pts)<\/p>\n<p>Venue: Madison Square Garden<br \/>Date: Thursday, April 2nd<br \/>Time: 7:00 pm EST<br \/>How To Watch:\u00a0ESPN+, MSG Network<br \/>Radio: TSN 690\/ESPN 880 AM, 93.5 FM<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ticketmaster.evyy.net\/c\/5142595\/264167\/4272?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ticketmaster.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Montreal Canadiens News &amp; Notes:<\/p>\n<p id=\"h-\">Montreal beat the Lightning 4-1 on Tuesday night. The Canadiens have now won six straight games. In those six games, Montreal has scored an average of 4.2 goals per game while conceding 1.5. Montreal has lost the two previous games against the Rangers this season, being outscored 9-7.<\/p>\n<p>New York Rangers News &amp; Notes:<\/p>\n<p>The Rangers beat the Devils on Tuesday night, 4-1. In their previous five games, New York has a 3-2-0 record, scoring 3.4 goals per game while allowing 1.8. The Rangers lead the season series with Montreal 2-0 entering Thursday night\u2019s game.<\/p>\n<p>Montreal Canadiens Projected Lines:<\/p>\n<p>Caufield-Suzuki-Slafkovsky<br \/>Newhook-Kapanen-Demidov<br \/>Bolduc-Evans-Anderson<br \/>Veleno-Danault-Gallagher<\/p>\n<p>Matheson-Dobson<br \/>Struble-Hutson<br \/>Guhle-Xhekaj<\/p>\n<p>Dobes<br \/>Fowler<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/shop.insidetherink.com\/search?q=Montreal&amp;options%5Bprefix%5D=last\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Get your Montreal Hockey Merchandise Here<\/a><\/p>\n<p>New York Rangers Projected Lines<\/p>\n<p>Perreault-Zibanejad-Lafreniere<br \/>Cuylle-Trocheck-Sykora<br \/>Kartye-Miller-Sheary<br \/>Brodzinski-Laba-Chmelar<\/p>\n<p>Gavrikov-Fox<br \/>Robertson-Borgen<br \/>Fortescue-Schneider<\/p>\n<p>Shesterkin<br \/>Garand<\/p>\n<p>Players To Watch:<\/p>\n<p>Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n<p id=\"h-\"><a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/?s=Lane%20Hutson&amp;post_tag=lane-hutson\" id=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/?s=Lane%20Hutson&amp;post_tag=lane-hutson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Lane Hutson<\/a> had two assists in the Canadiens 5-4 overtime loss to the Rangers on December 13th.<\/p>\n<p>New York Rangers<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/?s=J.T.%20Miller&amp;post_tag=j-t-miller-2\" id=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/?s=J.T.%20Miller&amp;post_tag=j-t-miller-2\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">J.T. Miller<\/a> scored his second goal in overtime to win the last game for the Rangers against the Canadiens back on December 13th.<\/p>\n<p>Injury Report:<\/p>\n<p>Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n<p id=\"h-\">F <a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/?s=Patrik%20Laine&amp;post_tag=patrik-laine\" id=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/?s=Patrik%20Laine&amp;post_tag=patrik-laine\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Patrik Laine<\/a> \u2013 IR<br \/>D David Reinbacher \u2013 Out<br \/>F Kirby Dach \u2013 Out<br \/>D Alexandre Carrier \u2013 OUT<\/p>\n<p>New York Rangers<\/p>\n<p>F <a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/?s=Matt%20Rempe&amp;post_tag=matt-rempe\" id=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/?s=Matt%20Rempe&amp;post_tag=matt-rempe\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Matt Rempe<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 IR<br \/>D Urho Vaakanainen \u2013 DTD<\/p>\n<p>Next Game<\/p>\n<p>\tDiscover more from Inside The Rink<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:15px\">Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.<\/p>\n<p>            <a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/author\/jcgifford18d2e1cafa\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><img alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775135065_833_8db68b5dc1a6417474926df3f6d3c47ad5c5859e11a1a42050a5fdf654aba77b.jpeg\"  class=\"avatar avatar-75 photo\" height=\"75\" width=\"75\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/author\/jcgifford18d2e1cafa\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">JC Giff<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Father of 3, Bruins, Red Sox, Cubs, Liverpool, Syracuse football and Basketball Fan. Love Fantasy Football, Baseball and Hockey. If I am not at work, I either at an ice rink, Ball field or spending quality time with my family.<\/p>\n<p>              <a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/nhl-game-preview-washington-capitals-at-new-jersey-devils-with-line-combinations-04-02-2026\/\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" class=\"featured-image\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n          <img width=\"300\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NHL-Game-Preview-Washington-Capitals-at-New-Jersey-Devils-with-Line-Combinations-04.02.2026-300x150..jpeg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"NHL Game Preview: Washington Capitals at New Jersey Devils with Line Combinations 04\/02\/2026\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>        <\/a>            <\/p>\n<p>              <a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/nhl-game-preview-toronto-maple-leafs-at-san-jose-sharks-with-line-combinations-04-02-2026\/\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" class=\"featured-image\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n          <img width=\"300\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775135067_39_Maple-Leafs-vs.-Sharks-300x150.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>        <\/a>            <\/p>\n<p>              <a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/nhl-game-preview-utah-mammoth-at-seattle-kraken-with-line-combinations-04-02-2026\/\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" class=\"featured-image\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n          <img width=\"300\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775127440_140_Untitled-design-2-22-300x150.png\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>        <\/a>            <\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/nhl-game-preview-utah-mammoth-at-seattle-kraken-with-line-combinations-04-02-2026\/\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NHL Game Preview: Utah Mammoth at Seattle Kraken with Line Combinations 04\/02\/2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Utah Mammoth (38-30-6, 82 pts) at Seattle Kraken (32-30-11, 75 pts) Venue: Climate Pledge ArenaDate: Thursday, April 2Time: 10:00 pm ESTHow To Watch:\u00a0ESPN+\/HULURadio: KSL Sports Zone 1280 AM\/93.3 KJR Purchase tickets via Ticketmaster Utah Mammoth News and Notes: The Mammoth picked up a 6-2 win over the Kings on Saturday snapped a two-game skid. They\u2019re [\u2026]<\/p>\n<p>        <a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/nhl-game-preview-utah-mammoth-at-seattle-kraken-with-line-combinations-04-02-2026\/\" rel=\"bookmark nofollow noopener\" title=\"\" class=\"readmore\" target=\"_blank\"><br \/>\n          Read More        <\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\u00a9 2021-2025 Inside The Rink\u00ae<\/p>\n<p>This website has no affiliation to any of the hockey leagues it reports on. All materials not owned by Inside The Rink LLC are used for editorial purposes only. <a href=\"https:\/\/insidetherink.com\/privacy-policy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NHL Game Preview: Montreal Canadiens at New York Rangers with Line Combinations 04\/02\/2026 | Inside The Rink Skip&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":536562,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5111],"tags":[1603,3566,5,2685,4687,502,1664,21,3328,35,5190,5193,4,5573,640,36,8036],"class_list":{"0":"post-536561","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-rangers","8":"tag-alexandre-carrier","9":"tag-david-reinbacher","10":"tag-hockey","11":"tag-j-t-miller","12":"tag-kirby-dach","13":"tag-lane-hutson","14":"tag-matt-rempe","15":"tag-montreal-canadiens","16":"tag-new-york","17":"tag-new-york-rangers","18":"tag-newyork","19":"tag-newyorkrangers","20":"tag-nhl","21":"tag-nhl-game-preview","22":"tag-patrik-laine","23":"tag-rangers","24":"tag-urho-vaakanainen"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116335260014362502","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=536561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/536561\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/536562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=536561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=536561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=536561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}