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New York Rangers hoping to avoid a case of the Blues

By Andrew Steele-Davis |
ST. LOUIS, MO. - DECEMBER 31: St. Louis Blues leftwing Alexander Steen (20) and New York Rangers center Brett Howden (21) face off during an NHL game between the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues on December 31, 2018, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ST. LOUIS, MO. - DECEMBER 31: St. Louis Blues leftwing Alexander Steen (20) and New York Rangers center Brett Howden (21) face off during an NHL game between the New York Rangers and the St. Louis Blues on December 31, 2018, at Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The New York Rangers will be hoping to finish a mixed week on a high when they take on the St. Louis Blues tonight at Madison Square Garden.

After stunning the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime last Saturday, the New York Rangers were brought back to earth earlier this week thanks to losses to the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins.

The schedule hasn’t been kind to the Blueshirts who will now take on yet another team set to be involved in the postseason for the fourth consecutive game.

Overcoming a disastrous start to the year, the St. Louis Blues have maneuvered a miraculous turnaround, transforming themselves from a down-and-out bottom feeder to a team that could spring a few surprises and embark on a deep Cup run.

The Blues rise from the dead is even more remarkable when you consider that they were propping up the rest of the NHL in last place only as far back as January 2nd with a less than flattering record of 15-18-4.

Fast forward to now and, following a coaching change which saw Craig Berube replace Mike Yeo as interim head coach in November, the Blues are 41-27-8 and in third place  in the Central Division, breathing right down the necks of the Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets respectively.

Berube is 34-18-5 since being asked to fill the hot seat at the Enterprise Center.

Only five franchises in NHL history have rocketed from the bottom spot to a playoff berth, but St. Louis looks set to become the sixth which would make them the first team in the last 20 years to achieve that remarkable feat.

And the Blues will be on a mission in Broadway tonight as they look to build on Monday’s 3-1 win against the Vegas Golden Knights and attempt to clinch a playoff spot with a victory in the Big Apple.

As for the Rangers?

The final six games of the regular season won’t mean much for the Blueshirts in terms of points and standings, but head coach David Quinn will be undertaking a constant evaluation of his young roster with at least one eye sure to already be focused on next season.

Although fans of the Rangers will be hoping for more losses in order to improve their standings in the lottery standings – NYR are currently fifth – Quinn will be demanding plenty of fight and character from his team, as he does every game.

Related Story. Back into fifth place in the lottery race. light

It is fan appreciation night at the Garden tonight and New York will be hoping to at least put on a show for their fans who have stuck by them during another trying season.

With no postseason hockey for the second consecutive year, there have been more lows than highs for the Rangers to digest.

However, one positive has been the play of Mika Zibanejad who has emerged as a true star this year, proving that he can be a cornerstone on which this Rangers roster can be built around.

The forward helped himself to two goals against the Bruins on Wednesday night, taking him to 30 goals and 70 points for the season.

He has now achieved career highs in goals, assists (40), points and power play points (23).

The Rangers will certainly look towards their sensational Swede to step up to the plate once again tonight in order to stop the Blues in their tracks.

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Stuff you need to know

About the Rangers

  • The New York Rangers are now 29-34-13 this year.
  • They are 2-6-2 in their last ten games.
  • The Blueshirts are 17-13-8 at Madison Square Garden this season.
  • New York has five games left after tonight – two at home and three on the road.
  • Henrik Lundqvist got the start against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday, making him just the seventh goalie in NHL history to appear in 50 or more games in at least 12 different seasons.
  • It remains to be seen who will be between the pipes tonight, but it could well be Alexandar Georgiev with the workload likely to be split between the two netminders in the remaining six games.
  • Pavel Buchnevich assisted on Mika Zibanejad’s first goal against the Bruins – the Russian now has points in five straight games, a career high (two goals, three assists).
  • Speaking of Zibanejad, the forward scored his career-best 30th goal against Boston, becoming the first Rangers center since Eric Lindros in 2001-02 to tally 30.
  • Ryan Strome has been red hot since his trade from the Edmonton Oilers. The forward has recorded seven points (four goals, three assists) in the last nine games, and 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in the last 22 games.
  • Strome’s 15 goals are the most tallied by any NHL player acquired during the 2018-19 season has registered with his new team.
  • Brett Howden skated in his 60th game on Wednesday, making him and Filip Chytil the third pair of Rangers rookies age 20 or younger to play in 60 games. Dave Maloney, Mike McEwen and Dave Farrish all accomplished that feat in 1976-77, as did Ron Duguay and Lucien DeBlois in 1977-78.
  • Howden celebrates his 21st birthday today.
  • Brendan Smith has been nominated for the Masteron Trophy by the team’s Professional Hockey Writers Chapter. The trophy is awarded to the player who displays “perseverance and dedication to the sport.”
  • Smith has revitalized his career under David Quinn this season, spending time on the blueline and on the wing. He has skated in 58 games, putting up three goals and seven assists for ten points.

About the Blues

  • The St. Louis Blues are 41-27-8 this year and are currently third in the Central Division.
  • The Blues were rock bottom on Jan. 2 with a record of 15-18-4, but have enjoyed a spectacular resurgence since the turn of the year.
  • St. Louis are 6-2-2 in their last ten games and are 20-12-6 on the road this season.
  • They are also fairly decent on the power play, converting on the man advantage at a percentage of 20.5.
  • The Blues are very efficient on the penalty kill and are ranked eighth, killing off power plays at a percentage of 81.6.
  • St. Louis have the third most wins in the NHL since January 1st, 2019 with 26 – the Tampa Bay Lightning are top with 28 and the Caroline Hurricanes are in second with 26.
  • The Blues can clinch a playoff spot tonight with a win or even an overtime or shootout loss.
  • The Blues are 11-3-3 on the road since January, 23.
  • Goalie Jordan Binnington is 12-0-1 with a 1.68 goals against average, a 9.41 save percentage and two shutouts against Eastern Conference teams.
  • Binnington has 21 wins this season, which trails Jake Allen (22) for the most wins by a rookie goalie in Blues history.
  • Forward Ryan O’Reilly, acquired in a summer blockbuster trade from the Buffalo Sabres, is the points leader for St. Louis this year with 71 (27 goals, 44 assists) in 76 games played.
  • Several Blues players are riding significant points streaks heading into tonight’s game, including Alex Pietrangelo who has five points (three goals, two assists) in five games, and O’Reilly who has six points in his last seven games (three goals, three assists).

Head-to-Head

  • Tonight’s matchup will be the second and last meeting between the two teams this year.
  • New York drew first blood in St. Louis back on Dec. 31. Mats Zuccarello and Boo Nieves scored in a 2-1 win, highlighted by Henrik Lundqvist’s 37 saves.
  • The Blues are 9-2-1 in their last 12 games at Madison Square Garden.

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Game Information

  • Face-off is at 7:00 pm EST.
  • It is Fan Appreciation night at The Garden tonight.
  • The game will be televised on the MSG Network and on radio on ESPN 98.7.
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