Rangers vs. Blues: Lineups, storylines trying to overcome injuries, end skid
Returning home with a banged-up roster and season-high four-game losing streak, the New York Rangers may just have the perfect tonic for their ills waiting for them Monday, when they host the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square Garden.
That’s because the Blues (7-9-6; 20 points) are just one of five teams with fewer points in the overall NHL standings than the Rangers (10-11-2; 22 points). Of course, it’s fair to point out that the Rangers previously lost to two of those five teams — the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames. So, there is that.
The Rangers received no reprieve on the road, where they started out 9-1-1 before losing all three games out West last week, and now return to MSG, where they own the worst home-ice record (1-7-1) in the NHL.
New York generated little offense on the just-completed trip, and lost two one-goal games, including 3-2 to the Utah Mammoth on Saturday. The other loss, a 6-3 decision to the League-leading Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, was really a one-goal game before the Rangers allowed a pair of empty-netters.
The Rangers are 4-4-2 in one-goal games, though three of the losses in their current four-game slide were by one goal. They’re winless in three one-goal decisions at MSG (0-2-1), including a 2-1 home loss to the Detroit Red Wings eight days ago.
In nine games at The Garden, the Rangers scored 13 goals and were shut out five times. Eleven of those 13 goals came in two games — a 6-5 overtime loss to the San Jose Sharks and 6-3 win over the Nashville Predators.
Perhaps another outburst awaits the Rangers on Monday. The Blues are the third-worst defensive team in the League, allowing an average of 3.64 goals per game. They’ve allowed four or more goals 11 times, and six or more six times. However, Jordan Binnington and the Blues held the Islanders to one goal in a 2-1 road victory on Saturday.
Joel Hofer, who’s 2-0-0 in two career starts against the Rangers, gets the call in net for the Blues on Monday.
Where the Rangers struggle to score, so, too, do the Blues. The Rangers are 30th in the NHL in scoring (2.48 goals per game); the Blues are 27th (2.68). The big difference between the teams is that the Rangers remain one of the stingiest teams defensively, fourth in the NHL allowing 2.65 goals against per game.
Igor Shesterkin starts in goal for the Rangers, who lost each of their games against the Blues last season.
3 storylines when Rangers host Blues
1. Banged-up Blueshirts
The Rangers are without injured captain J.T. Miller, No. 2 goalie Jonathan Quick, and defenseman Will Borgen on Monday. Also, Vincent Trocheck didn’t participate in the morning skate as a precaution and his availability is in question. Throw Matt Rempe into the mix — he’s been out for more than a month — and that could be five of 20 lineup regulars sidelined by injury.
Miller is day to day with an upper-body injury and misses his second straight game Monday. Quick is being evaluated for a lower-body injury sustained Saturday. Borgen landed on IR on Sunday and will miss his fifth game in the past six with an upper-body injury. Trocheck’s issue is unknown, but he’s a game-time decision.
This is a serious challenge of their depth for the Rangers, who recalled forward Brett Berard and goalie Dylan Garand from Hartford of the American Hockey League.
2. Rangers could use Cool Laf
If Trocheck and Miller don’t play Monday, that’s two mighty important players removed from New York’s top-six forward group. In addition to the scoring production they bring, Trocheck and Miller are New York’s two best face-off men. They set the tone for the Rangers with their straight-ahead play, tenacity and no-nonsense approach to the game. There’s no doubt the Rangers missed each of Miller’s intangibles Saturday.
That creates opportunity for the likes of Juuso Parssinen, Jonny Brodzinski, and Berard to play some important minutes. And for Noah Laba, too, assuming he’d step in to take some important face-offs.
But the Rangers would rely heavily on the top line with Mika Zibanejad, Will Cuylle, and Alexis Lafreniere to put the puck in the net. Zibanejad has seven points in his past seven games (three goals, four assists), and leads the Rangers with seven goals and four power-play goals.
It’s Cuylle and Lafreniere who really must step up now. Cuylle has six goals — though only three 5v5, and none in his past five games. Lafreniere is pointless in his past five games, and has four goals this season.
3. Buch’s Blues
The Blues’ offense would look a whole lot better if former Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich produced up to his typical standards. The six-time 20-goal scorer — including in each of the past five seasons — has just two goals in 22 games, none at even strength. Those are staggering statistics for the 30-year-old. He has only eight points this season and just four assists at even strength.
Many still consider Buchnevich the “one that got away” from the Rangers, after they traded him to the Blues ahead of the 2021-22 season. He played so well for the Blues that Buchnevich landed a six-year, $48 million contract in the summer of 2024. However, that contract isn’t looking so great for the Blues right now.
Keep an eye on Buchnevich, though. He’s got four goals and six points in seven games against his former team.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Will Cuylle — Mika Zibanejad — Alexis Lafreniere
Artemi Panarin — Juuso Parssinen — Jonny Brodzinski
Conor Sheary — Noah Laba — Brett Berard
Adam Edstrom — Sam Carrick — Taylor Raddysh
Vladislav Gavrikov — Adam Fox
Carson Soucy — Braden Schneider
Urho Vaakanainen — Matthew Robertson
Igor Shesterkin
Dylan Garand
Rangers vs. Blues: When, where, what time, how to watch
Who: New York Rangers vs. St. Louis Blues
When: Monday Nov. 24 at 7 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden
How to watch: MSG2
