Who: New York Rangers vs. St. Louis Blues
Where: Scottrade Center
When: Thursday night at 8:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 7:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
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The Skinny:
Coming off a dispiriting 5-2 loss Tuesday in New Jersey, the Rangers (34-20-6, 74 pts) look to return to their recent winning ways when they skate against the St. Louis Blues (35-18-9, 79 pts) at the Scottrade Center. It will be a tall order for the Rangers to knock off the Blues, and they will have to be at their best, because St. Louis owns the third most points (79) in the Western Conference this season, and fourth most overall in the entire National Hockey League. Though coming off a 6-3 home-ice loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday, the Blues have still won five of their last six games and are 6-1-1 in their last eight. Of course the Rangers also have been playing well, winners of two of their last three games, with a 7-2-1 mark in their last ten contests. New York must be hoping that Tuesday's performance against the Devils is just an aberration because it was not pretty, especially how they played in a second period which head coach Alain Vigneault called "probably our worst period all season". The lone Blueshirt who distinguished himself was goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who was sensational despite allowing four goals (the fifth goal was scored into an empty net). Perhaps the return of one or both of Ryan McDonagh and Marc Staal on the blue line will bolster the Rangers in St. Louis. McDonagh has missed the last two games with a sore jaw and neck, while Staal sat out Tuesday's game with a lower body injury. Rookie defenseman Brady Skjei played well filling in on an emergency basis for the Rangers Tuesday, but he was returned to the Hartford Wolf Pack, meaning that either Staal or McDonagh--at minimum--is ready to play. Watch Derick Brassard Thursday night. He has more points against the Blues (21) than against any other team over his NHL career. He also should be quite motivated after such a quiet night in New Jersey. After scoring five power play goals in a four-game span the Rangers have been blanked on the power play the past two games, and they will be put to the test Thursday since the Blues own the league's top-ranked penalty killing unit. St. Louis will be missing several of its regulars when facing the Rangers. Goaltender Brian Elliott, who had been red hot of late, will miss the next four weeks with a lower body injury suffered on Monday. Jake Allen will take over as the No. 1 after just returning from his own injury. Alexander Steen, the club's second-leading scorer, recently suffered an upper body injury and was placed on I.R.; and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo remains out with a knee injury. In addition rugged forward Ryan Reaves will begin serving a three-game NHL suspension on Thursday. The Blues, however, do have the dynamic Vladimir Tarasenko. He is sixth in the NHL with 29 goals and sixth with 11 power play goals this season. He also ranks 13th in scoring with 54 points, five of which have come in the last two games.
Head To Head:
This is the second and final meeting between the Rangers and the Blues this season. Back on November 12 at Madison Square Garden the Rangers scored three times in the first period on their way to a 6-3 victory. Mats Zuccarello led the way with a goal and two assists, while Derick Brassard and Dan Girardi each scored a goal and had an assist. Derek Stepan and Rick Nash contributed a pair of assists each to the win, and Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves. The Rangers are 2-0-1 in their last three games against the Blues, including 3-2 win in their most recent visit to the Scottrade Center in the 2014-15 season opener on October 9, 2014. Eleven of the past 16 games played between these two clubs has been decided by one goal.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Kevin Hayes: With seven points (4-3-7) in his last seven games, Kevin Hayes has seen his offensive game come alive when the Rangers need him the most, what with the playoff push on and Rick Nash remaining out of the lineup and the club seeking production throughout its lineup. Hayes scored off as rebound Tuesday in New Jersey, tying the game in the first period, and also assisted on Kevin Klein’s overtime game-winning goal Sunday against the red Wings. That speaks to the timeliness of his recent production. He also got the Rangers on the board last Wednesday against the Blackhawks, and earned the primary assist on Dan Boyle’s go-ahead goal early in the third period of that game. Two games before that Hayes scored late in the third period against the Kings to give New York a 4-3 lead, one that looked like it would hold up as the game-winner until L.A. rallied in the final minute of regulation and then beat New York in overtime. Hayes is now tied with Derek Stepan for sixth on the team’s scoring list with 29 points, and he is tied with Ryan McDonagh for fifth on the club with 19 assists. His continued strong all-around play, especially his contributions offensively, are vital for a Rangers team that needs consistent production from its top three lines in order to remain a serious Stanley Cup contender.
Blues-David Backes: The captain of the St. Louis Blues scored the 200th goal of his NHL career Monday night against San Jose, and he currently ranks third on the Blues with 15 goals and 33 points so far this season. So it would seem that all is positive for 31 year-old David Backes, yet that is not quite the case. Backes, who has spent his entire ten-year career in St. Louis and is the Blues’ seventh leading scorer in franchise history with 448 points, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and there has been speculation all year long that his days in St. Louis are numbered. A true professional, Backes has continued to be a solid leader on and off the ice for the Blues this season, and he continues to be a key two-way performer on the club. Yet the debate rages on about whether or not this is his last season wearing the blue note, with some speculating earlier in the season that he could even be traded before next Monday’s deadline, though that seems highly unlikely considering the fact that St. Louis is one of the top teams in the Western Conference. A two-time 30-goal scorer, Backes is looking reach 20 goals this year for the sixth time in his career; and he continues to be one of the better defensive centers in the NHL, as well. He comes into play Thursday with two goals and three points in his last two games, and five points in his last six. Rugged, intense, and intelligent on the ice, the Rangers will need to be aware of David Backes throughout the Thursday’s game.
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