SHOP: Canadiens locker room structured meshback cap
Here are the players that skated:
St-Louis: Memories of Manhattan
Interim head coach Martin St-Louis returns to a building that holds a special place in his heart.
The Hall of Famer closed out his playing career in a Rangers uniform after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in March 2014 in exchange for then-captain Ryan Callahan.
"Coming back here, it reminds me how blessed and fortunate I am that I got to experience this franchise, being somewhere for so long and going to play for an Original Six," said St-Louis. "It also reminds me how lucky I am to be in this League again, not as a player, obviously, but as a coach. Having the opportunity to do that at MSG tonight, it's a great opportunity and I know it's going to be a lot of fun."
Video: Martin St-Louis' pregame press conference
The 46-year-old Laval native played 93 regular-season games and 44 postseason games for the Blueshirts before hanging up his skates in July 2015.
As for his favorite memory as a Ranger…
"Unfortunately, it's scoring the game-winning goal against Montreal in Game 4 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Final
Caufield is hungry to finish the campaign on a high note versus New York and Florida.
Even if the Canadiens have been out of playoff contention for a while, the youngster definitely isn't lacking in motivation.
"We're getting down to the end here. The way the season's been going, we can either quit now or just play these last two games to get better. That's the way we're kind of looking at it," mentioned Caufield. "You've got to play it the right way. You get to play against two playoff teams that are kind of getting ready for their series. We could take that and use it to our advantage and get better with these last two."
This also marks the American standout's first appearance at MSG.
He was playing with the AHL's Laval Rocket when the Habs were previously in the Big Apple in mid-November.
"Every rink you get to play in is special, but this one being in New York City is a legendary rink," said Caufield. "It's going to be a really special opportunity."
Tweet from @CanadiensMTL: On est �� New York. 🗽We're at Madison Square Garden.#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/MNSpBFmwR8
Evans: 'I feel a little more confident'
While the Canadiens struggled mightily as a group since October, Jake Evans has every reason to be proud of his season.
He has already registered career-highs in all three major offensive categories with 12 goals, 15 assists and 27 points in 70 games, and continued to establish himself as a key piece of the puzzle up the middle.
The 25-year-old talked about his growth in the latter stages of his second full year with the big club.
"Especially this last month, I feel a little more confident, confident in making more plays and little things about my game that I'm happy about," noted Evans. "I obviously want to keep growing as a player, but things like faceoffs and just making small plays, I have that confidence a little bit more now. It's been a tough season for everyone's confidence and mental state, but you have to take the positives out of it."
Video: Jake Evans on growing more confident and comfortable
The University of Notre Dame grad attributes some of his success to a sense of familiarity as well.
"I guess you're a little less surprised seeing certain venues, seeing certain atmospheres, and then also just going against certain players and teams. It's a little more comfort," added Evans."I remember my first year going against the Leafs and [Auston] Matthews and [Mitch] Marner. I was terrified to be on the ice against them. Now, they're obviously great players, but it's a little less scary out there. Certain things like that, as you get older and as you play more games, it helps you out."
