Among the top story lines between the Canadiens and Rangers, the goalie battle between Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist promises to be intense.
http://www.zimbio.com

When the puck officially drops for the Eastern Conference Final Saturday afternoon at Bell Centre, the Rangers and Canadiens will make for great story lines. Fans of the sport along with NBC will have plenty to choose from. Here are our top eight.

1.Lundqvist vs Price-Perhaps the biggest story line on ice will be the play of two of the NHL’s best goalies. In Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price, it promises to be a battle among elite netminders who have carried their teams to this point. Entering Round 3, Lundqvist is tied for second in goals-against-average (1.99) and tied for first in save percentage (.931) while sporting a perfect 4-0 mark and 1.00 GAA in elimination games. The new playoff record holder with five consecutive Game 7 wins brings that into Montreal where he’s struggled. He’ll face Price, who brings in an 8-3 record with a 2.15 GAA, .926 save percentage and one shutout. It’s the first time in his career he’ll appear in the third round. For Lundqvist, it’s his second appearance in three years. Which goalie will come out on top?

2.Vigneault Faces Former Team-Before he guided the Canucks to a Stanley Cup Final appearance, Alain Vigneault began his NHL coaching career behind the Montreal bench. Taking over for Mario Tremblay in ’97-98, he lasted three plus seasons getting the Canadiens to one postseason appearance. He was fired 20 games into his fourth year in ’00-01. Over a decade later, he goes up against his former team.

3.Vigneault vs Therrien-Sticking with the coaching theme, this match-up pits Vigneault against the guy who replaced him. Interestingly, Michel Therrien spent parts of three seasons with the Habs before they gave him the ax during ’02-03. After coaching the Pens, he returned to Montreal last year. Following regular season success, Therrien’s club bowed out in the first round. In Year 2, they are fresh off ousting Ottawa and Boston to make the Conference Final for the first time since 2009. Both Vigneault and Therrien have learned valuable lessons. Now, we find out who can get their team further.

4.McDonagh vs Canadiens-Once, Ryan McDonagh was drafted by the Canadiens in the first round of the ’07 Draft 12th overall. For some reason, he fell out of favor in Montreal. Then general manager Bob Gainey included him as part of a package to the Rangers for Scott Gomez. A deal viewed as one of the worst or best depending on which side of the fence you’re on. Glen Sather not only dumped salary but landed a top defenseman who’s become a staple. Entering the third round, a banged up McDonagh only has three points and a minus-four rating. However, he was much better the final three scoring a big goal while setting up two others and returning to top defensive form. Will he come back to haunt the Habs?

5.P.K. Subban-He’s the most dangerous defenseman left in the tournament. The blueline leader and Habs’ leader in points (12), P.K. Subban can have a huge impact on the series. Of his dozen points, 10 have come on the power play including three PPG’s. It’s where he does most of his damage. That heavy shot is deadly. The Rangers penalty killers must be aware of where he is and limit his time and space. Avoid the penalty box. It’s not just his on ice performance but his colorful personality that make him a lightning rod. He’s already said he feels sorry for the Habs’ next opponent when they visit Bell Centre. He’s right.

6.Prust Ready To See Former Team-In another fun subplot, Brandon Prust goes up against his former team. It was with the Rangers where he flourished becoming an integral part of the ’11-12 Black and Blueshirts identity helping them reach the Eastern Conference Final. Ironically, he teamed with Brian Boyle to form a dynamic duo ex-coach John Tortorella trusted in checking and penalty killing situations. After departing for bigger bucks in the summer of 2012, Prust is playing a similar role on the Habs’ fourth line. You know he’ll want to stick it to Slats. Will he be able to play under control?

7.Will Weise Be A Thorn In Rangers’ Side? Don’t forget Dale Weise, who originally started with the Rangers and also teams with Prust. In a twist of fate, he was acquired from Vancouver for Raphael Diaz, who now is the Rangers’ extra defenseman. Weise has become one of the unsung playoff heroes scoring three goals including the first one in Montreal’s 3-1 Game 7 elimination of the Bruins.

8.Pouliot Faces Habs-Benoit Pouliot has gone through many teams. His second one was Montreal after being acquired from Minnesota for Guillaume Latendresse. He lasted two years with the Habs totaling 29 goals and 33 assists for 62 points. After spending a year in Boston and then Tampa, he’s landed on his feet in Manhattan. Under Vigneault, he’s flourished playing a key role on the Rangers’ pseudo top line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello. Pouliot has followed up a good regular season in which he set career highs in games (80), assists (21), points (36) and power play goals (7) by going 3-5-8 and plus-four in the first two rounds. His eight points put him in a three-way tie for second in team scoring trailing only Brad Richards. How motivated will he be against a team that gave up on him?