<P> The Montreal Canadiens finished first in the Atlantic Division earning 103 points . The New York Rangers finished as the Eastern Conference 's first wild - card , earning 102 points . This was the sixteenth playoff meeting between these two teams with New York winning eight of the fifteen previous series . They last met in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals , which New York won in six games . Montreal won all three games in this year 's regular season series . </P>
<P> The Montreal Canadiens finished first in the Atlantic Division earning 103 points . The New York Rangers finished as the Eastern Conference 's first wild - card , earning 102 points . This was the sixteenth playoff meeting between these two teams with New York winning eight of the fifteen previous series . They last met in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals , which New York won in six games . Montreal won all three games in this year 's regular season series . </P>
who won the first game of the stanley cup playoffs
who won the first game of the stanley cup playoffs
The New York Rangers
The New York Rangers