Your New York Rangers got throttled in Edmonton, blasted in Calgary, and only survived Vancouver to come home with four points from a possible eight after that win in Seattle during their trip to the North West. Now, we get to see if the Rangers will fare better tonight as the St. Louis Blues come to Madison Square Garden. New York will be looking to prove a point while the Blues look to remain in playoff contention. It could be a fun night at the Garden.
Peter Laviolette has put the lines in a blender. With Chris Kreider out with an upper-body injury, Matt Rempe was recalled from the AHL. Brett Berard was also recalled, as he looks like he'll be coming in for Jonny Brodzinski. New York will be looking for a response to this injection of youth into the roster. It does mean that Kaapo Kakko is playing center on the third line, but it's different.
There is still no Filip Chytil, who hasn't played since the team left for Seattle. New York does not want to rush him back, but he was on the ice with the team tonight. They can get him going soon, but they prioritize the players' health over the team's results, which is unquestionably the correct decision in such a situation. You cannot fault the coaching staff for this decision.
Projected Lineups
St Louis Blues
Pavel Buchnevich - Robert Thomas - Jake Neighbours
Dylan Holloway - Brayden Schenn - Jordan Kyrou
Brandon Saad - Radek Faksa - Mathieu Joseph
Alexey Toropchenko - Oskar Sundqvist - Nathan Walker
Ryan Suter - Colton Parayko
Scott Perunovich - Justin Faulk
Pierre-Olivier Joseph - Matthew Kessel
Jordan Binnington
Joel Hofer
New York Rangers
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Brett Berard - Mika Zibanejad - Will Cuylle
Adam Edstrom - Kaapo Kakko - Reilly Smith
Jimmy Vesey - Sam Carrick - Matt Rempe
K'Andre Miller - Adam Fox
Ryan Lindgren - Jacob Trouba
Zac Jones - Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Puck Drop
Tonight's game is a traditional 7 p.m. puck drop from Madison Square Garden as the Blues and Blueshirts square off. With the Rangers looking to freshen up the dressing room, many of these players could be competing for their future in this great city. Drury is looking to ship players out of town, and that could spell trouble if the Rangers lay another egg like they did in Alberta.