NEW YORK -- The last time the New York Rangers had a game to forget, they responded with five straight wins that put them on the cusp of the Stanley Cup finals. They are still there, and the Montreal Canadiens arent going away without a fight. New York needs one more victory to reach the championship round for the first time in 20 years. The Rangers know that Game 6 at home on Thursday is their best chance to get it. They returned home from Montreal on Wednesday, one day after a wild 7-4 loss cut their series lead to 3-2. If New York doesnt end it Thursday, the Rangers will have to go back to Montreal for a deciding Game 7. New York, which went the full seven games in each of the first two rounds of this years playoffs, will be playing its 20th post-season game. No team that played a pair of seven-game series before the conference finals has reached the Stanley Cup finals. "Its an opportunity to win the game to go to the Stanley Cup final," Rangers forward Brad Richards said. "I think everybody is alert and ready that way. We were talking about it all (Tuesday) how excited we were to get on the ice and start playing. "We had some mental breakdowns, but I dont think it had anything to do with (fatigue). Weve had a lot of rest this series. The opportunity that faces us right now, were pretty excited about it. I dont think there is too much letdown." In the second round, a poor performance at home in Game 4 against Pittsburgh dropped the Rangers into a 3-1 series hole. But New York won Game 5 on the road, took Game 6 at home, and won the clincher back in Pittsburgh to set up the matchup with Montreal. Now that the Canadiens have staved off elimination once, the Rangers are wary of giving them any more hope they can turn the tables. "You learn a lot from it. Thats why experience is experience," Richards said. "You go through many situations. (Tuesday) night was a bad feeling, but today were getting on a plane to go back to our city, and we get to play in front of our fans. "Its always, forget as quick as possible and try to remember the good things that were doing. It was one bad night, but weve been doing a lot of good things in this series." The Rangers won the opening two games in Montreal and then split a pair of overtime decisions at home. Even though they have had success on the road and in recent Game 7s, they know that going the distance again works against them. "Its a desperate time," Richards said. "You dont want to go back to a Game 7 where anything can happen. We want to get this done. Theyre a good team anywhere. "Were going to have to be a lot better, and we will be." This is as far as New York has advanced since captain Mark Messier led the club to the 1994 Stanley Cup title -- breaking the Rangers 54-year drought. The Garden will be ready to celebrate again Thursday. After the Rangers lost Game 4 to Pittsburgh, the loyal fans thought they might not see their team again until next season. That will be the situation again if the Canadiens pull off another victory. "You win a game, and things change in your locker room and you start feeling better about yourselves," Rangers defenceman Marc Staal said. "We know how it feels coming back in a series, but it doesnt change anything in our room. We are as confident as ever going into our building, and looking forward to it." So are the Canadiens. They know that if they wouldve scored in overtime of Game 4 as they did in Game 3, they wouldve had a two-game sweep at the Garden and would be the ones looking to advance Thursday. "Well be ready for one of those tight-checking games," defenceman Josh Gorges said Wednesday after an optional practice in Montreal. "Im sure it will be again one of those hard-fought games that well have to make sure that were even better than we were last game." Montreal will have rugged forward Brandon Prust back in the lineup after he served a two-game suspension for a late hit on Derek Stepan in Game 3 that broke the Rangers forwards jaw. Stepan returned Tuesday and scored two goals while wearing a full faceguard. The Rangers will be without defenceman John Moore. He was suspended for two games Wednesday after receiving a match penalty Tuesday night for a hit to Montreal forward Dale Weises head. Henrik Lundqvist will be back in goal for the Rangers after he was pulled in Game 5 on a rare off night in which he allowed four goals on 19 shots in less than two periods. He avoided the loss when New York rallied from a 4-1 deficit to get even. Backup goalie Cam Talbot gave up two goals in relief. "(Tuesday) night was probably the best game weve played in this series," Canadiens forward Lars Eller said. "If we keep doing a lot of those things, I think the end result will be good." Tim McCarver Cardinals Jersey . 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Kaka, who currently plays with AC Milan, is expected to be loaned out to his home club Sao Paulo for the upcoming season before joining Orlando for next season.LeBron James has made his decision and its the Cleveland Cavaliers. There wouldnt have been a lot of sentimental value or intrigue if James decided to stay in South Beach as Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade would have likely joined him (again), making the Heat the favourites (again) to dominate the NBAs Eastern Conference. Rejoining the Cavaliers, on the other hand, not only sees James back in his first NBA colours, but allows for a rarity in sports - a star athlete returning to his first team in the prime of his career. James spent the first seven years of his career with the Cavs, appearing in the post-season five times and making the Finals in 2007. He also won back-to-back MVP awards in 2009 and 2010. And now hes even better. With LeBrons return to Cleveland, he brings hope and excitement to a deflated sports city that once loved him before they despised him. Thats a lot of power to have. But how about other stars whove returned to the place where it all started - and how did it fare for them? Over the last 30 years, there have certainly been some notable examples. In basketball, Canadas own Steve Nash played two relatively quiet seasons with the Phoenix Suns after the club drafted him 15th overall in 1996. Nash would then go on to make a name for himself with the Dallas Mavericks from 1998 to 2004. He made his return to Phoenix as a 30-year-old and would go on to lead one of the most exciting, high tempo teams in NBA history. Nash then won the Most Valuable Player award in 2005 and 2006. Another point guard, Jason Kidd, started his career in Dallas before spending time with the Suns and Nets, leading the latter to the NBA Finals. Kidd found himself back in Big D in 2008 and just three seasons later, helped the Mavericks defeat the LeBron-led Heat for their first championship in franchise history. At the other end of the spectrum, Allen Iverson played a decade with the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2006. Iverson returned to the City of Brotherly Love in 2009, playing only 25 games for a bad 76ers team. He was understandably a shadow of his former self, but the fans loved the short reunion even though it didnt bring any success. Major League Baseball has a few success stories. Base-stealiing magician Rickey Henderson played the first six years of his career with the Oakland Athletics - a flashy speed demon who could also hit for average.dddddddddddd After joining the New York Yankees for four seasons, Henderson was traded back to Oakland in 1989. He helped lead the As to their first World Series championship since 1974, hitting over .400 in the playoffs with 11 stolen bases. Andy Pettitte was a key part of the New York Yankees dynasty in the 1990s, winning four championships over his first eight years in pinstripes. He joined the Houston Astros for three seasons from 2004 to 2006 and returned to the Big Apple in 2007. A 37-year-old was an integral part of the Yankees pitching staff during their championship season in 2009, winning two games in the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies - including the clincher on three days rest. In hockey, Trevor Linden got his start with the Vancouver Canucks from 1988 to 1998. He quickly became known as a gritty leader on and off the ice - who could also put up his share of goals. Linden was traded to the New York Islanders in 1998 and after a string of seasons on Long Island, in Montreal and with Washington, the Medicine Hat native returned to Vancouver and stayed there for the rest of his career. He is considered as one of the most beloved players in Canucks history. On the pitch, Ian Rush is known as one of the greatest footballers in Liverpools history. He spent seven years with the club from 1980 to 1987 - recording a total of 139 goals. He would go on to play one season with Juventus before returning to Anfield for eight more productive years. He remains the all-time leading goal scorer in club history with 346. Its not common for star athletes to make their return to their original team. And most of the time, the players best years are behind them and it becomes more of a happy reunion for the fans rather than a shot for glory. King James is in the prime of his career and could go down as the greatest basketball player in history. Heading to Cleveland is a risk, theres no doubt about that. But, winning there could certainly be more rewarding than winning anywhere else. Cleveland is now in the centre of the basketball universe. Its time to sit back and see how the next chapter of NBA history unfolds. ' ' '