New York Rangers vs St. Louis Blues: A tough road test

About the Rangers

The three ringed circus known as the Rangers’ goalie situation will feature Henrik Lundqvist in goal, his first game in nine days.  Alexandar Georgiev will get to wear the uniform as he backs up Lundqvist and Igor Shesterkin will watch from the press box.

When asked, coach David Quinn addressed the decision to start Lundqvist. “Obviously there’s a lot that goes into these decisions when you have three goalies…you know he’s played really well against St. Louis and we want to get him back into the net.”

Lundqvist’s career record against St. Louis is only 5-6, but his career goals against average of 2.14 and save percentage of .929 against the Blues are the fourth best against any team in his career.

The lineup will not be determined until gametime.  Ryan Lindgren is day-to-day but is making the trip.  Libor Hajek is ready to play and could see action if Lindgren is out.  Marc Staal missed practice on Friday but is also making the trip.  As always, Brendan Smith is an option on defense and Micheal Haley is still around.  They are all with the team and we won’t know until warm-ups.

Quinn was concerned about the Rangers’ defense in the Devils game.  When asked about the 49 shots against he said  ““I can’t stand the number…but it didn’t feel that way.  We definitely had a different mindset going into the game than the previous two.  We gave up seven odd-man rushes. We gave up three combined in the previous two.  That’s usually an indication of what you’re trying to do offensively…a little more high risk with the puck you turn the puck over.  It’s part of the equation.”

You can be sure that the coaching staff will be beating that message into the heads of the players and the question is whether they will take heed. The goal-fest against the Devils can be infectious and it’s well worth remembering that the teams were tied halfway through the game.

One question everyone is asking is what Anthony DeAngelo can do for an encore.  He’s had seven points in his last two games.  He is skating with a lot of confidence and he’s been opening a lot of eyes around the league.

Artemi Panarin is not far behind with six points in his last two games. He’s had a lot of success against the Blues with four goals and 11 assists in 14 career games.

Quinn addressed his benching of Ryan Strome on Thursday.  Strome sat for almost nine minutes after Kevin Rooney‘s shorthanded goal.  Strome was weak on checking Pavel Zacha who got the puck to Rooney for the goal. “…that’s unacceptable. He knows that. He’s had a helluva year.   I think responsibility comes with being in the situation he’s in now, more is expected of you when you’re playing that role or as productive as he is…he knows that.”

Strome did get assists on the last two Ranger goals and played a regular shift after he returned, but it’s clear that Quinn is keeping him on a short leash.