If the Canadiens are looking for motivation from what the Rangers are saying, they can look elsewhere.
Alain Vigneault continued his postseason Campaign of Kindness on Friday at practice in Westchester, just before his team boarded a flight and headed to Montreal for Game 1 of this Eastern Conference finals on Saturday afternoon at the Bell Centre.
Yet Vigneault knew that the Canadiens used the “disrespect” angle to light a fire underneath them in their second-round series against the President Trophy-winning Bruins, and he was not about to give out the same type of free ammunition.
“I know they went into the Boston series saying that Boston didn’t respect them,” Vigneault said.
He then took a small pause, drew a deep breath, and added: “We respect Montreal quite a bit. We know they’re not only a really strong team, but they’re a team that has beaten the No. 1 team in the NHL and a [Bruins] team that went to the Stanley Cup finals last year. A [Bruins] team that beat the New York Rangers in five games last year.
“So we know we have our hands full.”
The Bruins did indeed whoop up on the Rangers last season, but that was a far different Rangers team, with a far different man behind the bench in John Tortorella. This Rangers team has taken on the personality of their new coach – cool, calm, and professional almost to an extreme.
The coach has watched a lot of tape on the Canadiens, this team he so overtly respects, and said the game plan is still not complete – or at least that was what he was willing to admit.
“I haven’t found anything yet that I can grasp or put my hand on that we can exploit in this team,” he said. “Yet.”
One thing Vigneault did point out was something Las Vegas has confirmed, that the Canadiens are the favorite to win the series. With home-ice advantage, Montreal has a -120 line to win the series – meaning bet $120 to win $100 – while the Rangers are even money, according to Bovada sports book.
“We know going into this series, and rightfully so, that they’re the favorites,” Vigneault said. “Theoretically, they’re expected to win. Pressure does funny things to different people. I’m anxious to see how they’re going to react. Both teams are obviously looking forward to this series, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
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Veteran winger Martin St. Louis was the only player not at practice, as he went back to his native Montreal to attend the wake of his mother, France, who died on May 8. The funeral is schedule for Sunday afternoon, and the whole team is planning on attending. Under the request of St. Louis, all services are going to be private.