NEW YORK -- Most of the Montreal Canadiens will be entering uncharted territory when they take the ice against the New York Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, RDS). For the members of the Canadiens' roster who have played in the Stanley Cup Final, it's important to impress on their teammates how rare this opportunity is.

Of the Montreal players who have suited up in this series, only veteran forwards Brian Gionta and Daniel Briere have played in the Final. Gionta is the only one who has hoisted the Cup; he did it as a member of the New Jersey Devils in 2003. Forwards Travis Moen and George Parros played on the Anaheim Ducks team that won the Stanley Cup in 2007 but have not dressed in this series.

The advice and leadership from the few players who have been this far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are crucial, especially on a roster filled primarily with players who have never gotten this far.

NEW YORK -- With his missing tooth and thick playoff beard, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Mike Weaver bears all the telltale features of a veteran stay-at-home NHL defenseman. He's lived up to the look, carving out a career as a shot-blocking defenseman with six different teams in the past 12 seasons.

A graduate of Michigan State University with a major in telecommunications and a minor in virtual reality software development and web design, Weaver is now combining one of his signature skills on the ice with one of his true passions off it.

"I'm the Chief Innovation Officer for this company that's going to come out in a little bit. That's my background," Weaver said. "It's fun. You've got to branch out."

NEW YORK -- New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault wouldn't definitely declare that center Derick Brassard would return from an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the past two games of the Eastern Conference Final. But he wasn't subtle when he hinted that Brassard would be back in the lineup for Game 4 against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, RDS).

The Rangers lead the best-of-7 series 2-1.

"I'd say right now he's a game-time decision," Vigneault said of Brassard after New York's morning skate. "And looking good if I was a betting man."

NEW YORK -- Montreal Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty has had his share of memorable moments in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He scored each of Montreal's series-winning goals, against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round and the Boston Bruins in the second round.

But Pacioretty is the first person to admit that some of his oldest and most enduring playoff memories took place at Madison Square Garden long before he was selected by Montreal in the 2007 NHL Draft.

The U.S. Olympian couldn't help but share some of them as he prepared to play the New York Rangers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday at MSG (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, RDS).

A Rangers fan growing up in New Canaan, Conn., Pacioretty was inspired to play hockey by New York's run to a Stanley Cup championship in 1994. Pacioretty was 5 years old at the time and his father, Raymond, was a longtime Rangers fan.

"I remember watching the 1994 Stanley Cup from my home. That's when it kind of took off that I wanted to be a hockey player," Pacioretty said. "Right around the age that I started [playing]."

NEW YORK -- After saying in English on Thursday that forward Derick Brassard remained day-to-day with an upper-body injury, New York Rangers coach Alain Vigneault sounded far more certain when he discussed Brassard's status in French.

Speaking with French reporters, Vigneault said he did not think Brassard would play against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, RDS).

The Rangers lead the best-of-7 series 2-0.

"I would say right now I think no," Vigneault said in French when asked about Brassard's status for Game 3.

NEW YORK -- Montreal Canadiens forward Daniel Briere has seen a lot in his 17 NHL seasons, but even he admits he's never seen anything quite like the meteoric ascent of goaltender Dustin Tokarski.

The longtime minor-league goaltender was plucked from obscurity and dropped onto hockey's biggest stage after Montreal starter Carey Price was injured in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.

Making his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in Game 2 against the New York Rangers on Monday, Tokarski impressed his teammates by making 27 saves in a 3-1 loss. But it was his poise and calmness in the face of intense pressure that won over the Montreal locker room.

"I thought he reacted well. He seemed comfortable. He made the saves that he had to make," Canadiens forward Daniel Briere said Wednesday. "He didn't seem too nervous. I'm sure on the inside he was. I would have been. He seemed in control."

NEW YORK -- The New York Rangers lead the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference Final heading into Game 3 on Thursday at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, RDS).

The Rangers were two wins away from the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 when they lost to the New Jersey Devils in six games. But when it comes to being up two games in a series, New York is in unfamiliar territory.

It had been five years since the Rangers led a playoff series by two games. Prior to winning Game 2 against Montreal on Monday, New York had lost 13 straight games after taking a series lead.

"It's been a while. We don't pay too much attention to it," Rangers defenseman Anton Stralman said. "We haven't won the series yet. Obviously being up 2-0 in the series is great, but we're still only halfway there. We have to put a strong foot forward next game. We're just looking one game ahead the whole time."

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- When New York Rangers forward Derick Brassard suits up against the Montreal Canadiens in the 2014 Eastern Conference Final, he'll have plenty of friends and family watching. But the Quebec native admits that more than a few of them will be rooting against him.

A native of Gatineau, Quebec, Brassard grew up in the thick of Habs Nation, with the Canadiens revered throughout his hometown. It speaks to the place the franchise holds in the province, especially considering Brassard's hometown is about one mile east of Ottawa and about 120 miles from Montreal.

Despite that proximity to the Ottawa Senators, Brassard grew up with constant reminders of the team that now stands between him and the Stanley Cup Final.

"Where I grew up, everyone is a Habs fan," Brassard said. "I grew up watching the games. I have some real good friends who are cheering for the Canadiens right now, so it's a little different."

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- For the second time in three seasons the New York Rangers will play in the Eastern Conference Final. Game 1 of the series will be Saturday in Montreal (1 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC, RDS).

It's an impressive feat for any team, but there are few similarities between this year's team that will play the Montreal Canadiens and the one eliminated by the New Jersey Devils in six games in the 2012 conference final.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- The New York Rangers will attend the funeral of France St. Louis on Sunday in Montreal, the day after opening the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens in the city.

St. Louis, the mother of Rangers forward Martin St. Louis, died of a heart attack last week at age 63. The forward learned of the news when the Rangers arrived in Pittsburgh the day before Game 5 of the second-round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins and immediately flew to Montreal to be with his family. He rejoined the Rangers the next day and played in Game 5. With his father, Normand, and sister, Isabelle, in attendance, St. Louis scored the first goal in New York's 3-1 Game 6 win at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

"Marty's [mother's] funeral was supposed to be Saturday. We couldn't move the time of the game, so Marty being who he is was able to move the funeral to Sunday," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "So Sunday, as a team, we'll be able to attend his mother's funeral."