Yup, that’s what it’s coming down to for the Rangers — rating how bad their losses are. That’s because the losses are piling up quickly. The Rangers (15-14-1) are 3-10-0 in their past 13 games and have lost 14 of their past 24 games since a 5-0-1 start that seems eons ago.

They were better in some aspects Sunday. They weren’t blow out early, with each team playing a low-event first period. They did show life late in the third period on a pair of goals from Brett Berard and Will Cuylle 1:19 apart.

"I thought we showed a good push at the end there, the last 10 minutes, but that's not good enough to win hockey games. You've got to be able to play a full 60 minutes and we weren't able to do that tonight."

– Will Cuylle pic.twitter.com/Q1cZedZ6rq

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) December 16, 2024

Yeah, that’s about it for positives. The usual array of issues pertained. Horrendous defensive miscues turned into goals by the Blues. One-and-done offense that showed zero signs of life 5v5 and left Adam Fox beyond frustrated postgame. Little pushback after falling behind 1-0 in the first period and 3-0 in the second.

The Blues skated quicker, were harder on the puck, won more one-on-one battles and executed their game plan better. That wasn’t Wayne Gretzky’s Oilers or the Islanders dynasty out there. It was the 15-14-3 Blues who exposed the Rangers again and swept the season series.

Related: Rangers injury woes grow with Artemi Panarin out against Blues

3 takeaways from Rangers 3-2 loss to Blues

Here are three takeaways from the Rangers latest loss Sunday in St. Louis.

1. On the hot seat

There’s no doubt Rangers coach Peter Laviolette is feeling the heat and likely very worried about his job security. After winning the Presidents’ Trophy last season and guiding the Rangers within two victories of the Stanley Cup Final this past spring, Laviolette appears to be running out of answers of how to pull the Blueshirts out of this downward spiral.

“It’s frustrating, another loss,” Laviolette said postgame, his eyes roaming the ceiling at Enterprise Center searching for the right words or more likely an answer or two. “Pressed in the third period and couldn’t get it done.”

Laviolette scratched forward Kaapo Kakko for the first time this season. He stuck Chris Kreider on the fourth line. Mika Zibanejad played only 13:04. Nothing really worked and the same issues remained.

This underachieving roster badly needs a shakeup. But general manager Chris Drury just might find it easier to fire Laviolette, and hope that a Michael Peca, Phil Housley or perhaps Joel Quenneville can spark this group and help save the season.

2. No Bread for you

As if the Rangers don’t have enough problems, their leading scorer was not in the lineup. Artemi Panarin is day to day with an upper-body injury, and his creativity and scoring prowess were missed against the Blues. He’s got 15 goals and 36 points in 29 games and is pretty much the only Rangers skater these days who makes the opponent sweat when he’s out on the ice.

In his absence Sunday, the Rangers managed all of two high-danger scoring chances all night, per Natural Stat Trick. His usual center, Vincent Trocheck, did show some chemistry with Jonny Brodzinski — but then again, that was Jonny Brodzinski, not Panarin, so not exactly apples to apples.

His usual linemate Alexis Lafreniere skated with Filip Chytil and Will Cuylle. Lafreniere did assist on Cuylle’s 11th goal, but that line had a 0.36 xGF. Not exactly great.

WILL CUYLLE!

(via @NYRangers) pic.twitter.com/6vCcwqfeVR

— Rangers Videos (@SNYRangers) December 16, 2024

Oh yeah, and Zibanejad? The juggling of forwards saw him land on a third line with Berard and Jimmy Vesey. Berard was by far the most effective skater on that line, though his goal came on a mixed line with Trocheck and Reilly Smith. Zibanejad’s line had an xGF 5v5 of 0.31. Not a shock why No. 93 didn’t see the ice nearly as often as he typically does, especially with New York failing to land a single power play.

3. Go glove side

Jonathan Quick made some sensational saves, especially early in the second period when time and again he kept the Rangers deficit to one goal. Eventually, things caved in and Quick allowed a breakaway goal by Jordan Kyrou and a 2-on-1 goal to Robert Thomas in the second.

You can’t really fault Quick for this loss. But there is one key observation to make. Each of the three goals he surrendered was glove side, including Pavel Buchnevich’s one-time blast from right wing that snuck inside the post. Kyrou and Thomas each went up and over Quick’s low glove. Makes you wonder if that was the scouting report on the 38-year-old goalie, or if it all just happened in the moment.

For sure, the Rangers seek a better result when they skate against the St. Louis Blues to begin a three-game road trip Sunday. But that starts with having a better effort. Yes, their compete level was that lacking against the Kings, who chased Igor Shesterkin after he surrendered five goals on 21 shots in just 25:04.

It’s a winnable game against a mediocre opponent Sunday — and one that had to travel after losing 2-1 in overtime at Dallas on Saturday night. But the Rangers (15-13-1) must find the resolve and will to actually win the contest. Tightening things up defensively wouldn’t hurt either.

CLICK HERE to shop at the Forever Blueshirts store

New York Rangers news

Here are three things to look for when the Rangers skate against the Blues on Sunday, including issues with New York’s depth on defense.

And here are three Rangers takeaways from that loss to the Kings at MSG, including a horrid all-around effort.

We also posted a list of the all-time most expensive goalie contracts in NHL history, highlighted by Shesterkin at the top of the list.

Related: How to Watch the NHL Winter Classic in 2024

NHL news

A week after reportedly being offered to the Rangers, defenseman Cam Fowler was traded to the Blues by the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday. He made his Blues debut, playing 17:57 TOI, in a 2-1 shootout loss to the Stars.

Oliver Wahlstrom was claimed off waivers by the Boston Bruins from the Islanders, who selected the forward in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Pierre Engvall cleared waivers Saturday but was in the Isles’ lineup Sunday; Bo Horvat didn’t play because of a lower-body injury.

Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford appeared on Sportsnet and said that they are still “evaluating” Brock Boeser and their plans for the impending unrestricted free agent.

The New Jersey Devils erupted for four goals in the third period to rally past the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1.

WATCH Brady Tkachuk scores an overtime game-winner to lift the Ottawa Senators past the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Florida Panthers were shut out for the second straight game, this time by Dustin Wolf and the Calgary Flames, 3-0 at Scotiabank Saddledome.

They hit the road in crisis mode. The Rangers played a stunningly poor game in a 5-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings at home Saturday and are 3-9-0 in their past 12 games. In a disappointing season, this may have been the low point — though there’s much competition for that distinction.

“This is bad,” an outwardly angry coach Peter Laviolette said postgame.

He’s grown increasingly more testy by the loss, as what appeared to be a slump has morphed into an absolute freefall.

With their coach’s job likely on the line, the Rangers (15-13-1) start a manageable road swing, when they’ll play the Blues, Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars — the last game being the most difficult by far. Things have been better on the road for the Rangers, who are 8-5-0 away from Madison Square Garden and a miserable 7-8-1 on home ice. But right now, nothing comes easy for the Blueshirts.

The last time the Rangers faced the Blues, they lost 5-2 at MSG on Nov. 26, their third straight defeat in what was a five-game losing streak. That was Jim Montgomery’s first game after being named Blues coach. The Blues (14-14-3) are 4-2-3 under Montgomery, coming off a 2-1 shootout loss to the Stars on Saturday.

Related: 3 Rangers takeaways from brutal loss to Kings

3 things to watch for when Rangers visit Blues

1. Rangers need answers

After a non-competitive showing Saturday, the Rangers need to find answers in St. Louis against a mediocre opponent. The lack of compete level was galling against the Kings, so, at minimum, the Rangers need to bring much more collective effort against the Blues.

Of course, they also need to generate a heckuva lot more offense and be far less sloppy defensively. The eye test was all you need Saturday, but the numbers were terrible, too. Their 0.36 xGF, per Natural Stat Trick, spoke volumes.

Simply, it’s got to be so much better against the Blues.

2. Shaky depth on defense

It was one thing trying to get by and replace Jacob Trouba’s 20+ minutes per game after the veteran defenseman was traded to the Anaheim Ducks. But it’s a whole other thing also trying to replace K’Andre Miller’s 20+ minutes with the 24-year-old on IR with an upper-body injury. That was obvious against the Kings.

The third pair of Zac Jones and Victor Mancini had a miserable afternoon, continuing their defensive struggles. They were on for three goals against, and Mancini had five giveaways in the game. The Rangers had a 0.12 xGF with the rookie on the ice 5v5. It’s a disturbing trend of defensive issues for Mancini, who’s expected to replace Trouba in the lineup, if not take over his role. Braden Schneider is handling those duties.

Connor Mackey was fine stepping in for Miller, including a first-period fight shortly after the Kings’ first goal. But he’s not a long-term answer. And the top pair wasn’t so good, with Ryan Lindgren’s struggles ongoing and Adam Fox dragged down, as well.

3. Have to score first

Listen, the Rangers are frontrunners these days. The team you remember that never was out of any game because there was no quit last season? Yeah, forget it. These Rangers need to play from ahead or else it’s more likely than not they won’t find a way to win.

The Rangers are 12-2-0 when scoring first and 3-11-1 when they give up the first goal. After the loss Saturday, they’re 1-8-0 when trailing after one period and 0-10-1 when trailing after two. Their a fragile team right now, one with little pushback when required. So, yes, a fast start is required Sunday.

New York Rangers projected lineup

Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere

Kreider – Zibanejad – Smith

Cuylle – Chytil – Kakko

Edstrom – Carrick – Berard

Lindgren – Fox

Mackey – Schneider

Jones – Mancini

Quick

Shesterkin

Rangers vs. Blues: When, where, what time, how to watch

Who: New York Rangers vs. St. Louis Blues

When: Sunday, Dec. 15 at 6 p.m. ET

Where: Enterprise Center

How to watch: MSG

Click here for New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and game results

The Rangers appeared to be on their way to stringing together consecutive wins when they followed a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday by taking a 3-1 lead with less than six minutes left in the middle period against the Kraken. But Seattle scored three times before the end of the period and twice more to begin the third period. The Rangers never caught up, and instead of back-to-back wins, they enter the new week having lost seven of their past nine games.

The slump has dropped the Rangers (14-11-1) to the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference standings; they’re even in points with the New York Islanders but have played three fewer games.

Happily for the Rangers, this week’s schedule offers the opportunity to right the ship, with only one of the four games against a team that begins the week with a winning record. They host the League’s worst team, the Chicago Blackhawks (8-17-2), on Monday night, followed by a trip to Buffalo for a Wednesday night meeting with the struggling Sabres (11-13-3). The Los Angeles Kings (16-8-3), who are second in the Pacific Division, make their only Garden visit on Saturday afternoon, followed by a quick flight and a game at St. Louis against the Blues (13-13-2) on Sunday.

Who’s hot

Artemi Panarin has five points in his past two games after assisting on two goals Sunday. He leads the team in goals (15) and points (34), and he’s on pace to become the first player in franchise history to have back-to-back 100-point seasons. He has eight points (three goals, five assists) on a four-game point streak.

Vincent Trocheck scored again Sunday and has four goals in his past five games, matching his total for the first 21 games.

Who’s not

Sunday was a tough day for Jonathan Quick, who was shelled for six goals on 21 shots after being pressed into service when Igor Shesterkin was  unavailable because his wife went into labor before the game. Quick started the season 4-0-0 but is 1-2-0 in his past three starts and has allowed 15 goals

Related: Rangers trade rumors: Ducks reportedly wanted Cam Fowler included in Jacob Trouba deal

Rangers lookahead this week includes …

The completion of a stretch that has the Rangers playing five games in eight days and concludes with a nasty weekend back-to-back with the Los Angeles Kings at the Garden on Saturday followed by a flight to St. Louis for an early-evening game with the Blues on Sunday.

Chicago Blackhawks at Rangers (Dec. 9, 7 p.m. ET; MSGSN/NHL Network)

If there was a team the Rangers would want to face after a discouraging loss the day before, it’s the Blackhawks.

Not only is Chicago (8-17-2) last in the overall standings and mired in a five-game losing streak, they are without starting goaltender Petr Mrazek, who’s on injured reserve after leaving a 4-2 loss against the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday with a left groin injury. That leaves backup Arvid Soderblom (1-6-1 despite a 2.60 goals-against average and .915 save percentage) and rookie Drew Comesso, who’s likely to make his NHL debut at some point during their three-game swing through the Metropolitan area this week.

The Rangers have won three in a row and seven of eight against the Blackhawks, who are 30th in the League in scoring with 66 goals in 27 games. It will be the second game for new coach Anders Sorensen, who was elevated from Rockford of the AHL when Luke Richardson was fired Thursday.

Read More: What to know about Urho Vaakanainen, the Rangers’ newest defenseman

Rangers at Buffalo Sabres (Dec. 11, 7 p.m. ET; MAX, TruTV, TNT)

Rest assured that coach Peter Laviolette will have his team primed for this one. Not only is the game on national TV, the Rangers undoubtedly have vivid memories of being embarrassed 6-1 by the Sabres in their own building on Nov. 7.

Buffalo hasn’t made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011, and the Sabres will have to kick their play up a few notches to avoid an NHL-record 14th consecutive failure to make the postseason. They enter the week on an 0-4-2 slide and are the only team to lose a game after leading by four goals; Buffalo led 4-0 less than 12 minutes into its home game against the Colorado Avalanche last Tuesday but allowed one goal in the second period and four more in the third to lose 5-4.

That game also cost the Sabres their best defenseman, Rasmus Dahlin. He left that game with back spasms and as of Sunday had yet to resume skating – making it sound unlikely that he’ll be ready to go when the Rangers come to town.

Los Angeles Kings at Rangers (Dec. 14, 1 p.m. ET; MSG)

With a weekend back-to-back, don’t be surprised if Quick gets the call against his old team in this Saturday matinee at the Garden. He is 1-1-0 all-time against the Kings, having split two decisions against them last season after joining the Rangers. If Quick starts and wins one of the Rangers’ two games before the Kings come to town, he’d be trying to become the first U.S.-born goaltender to win 400 games by defeating the team for which he earned 370 of those victories.

The Rangers are 4-1-0 in their past five games with the Kings and 6-0-2 against them at the Garden since a 4-2 loss on March 24, 2015. Overall, the Rangers are 43-20-2 with six ties against Los Angeles at MSG.

Rangers at St. Louis Blues (Dec. 15, 6 p.m. ET; MSG)

Revenge will be on the Rangers’ minds when they take on the Blues in an early-evening game at Enterprise Center after St. Louis used a three-goal third period to leave the Garden with a 5-2 win on Nov. 25.

St. Louis has had its ups and downs, with most of the downs coming because of a lack of offense – the Blues enter the week having scored 73 goals, the sixth-lowest total in the NHL. However, they’ve gotten a boost with the return of forward Robert Thomas, who had six points (two goals, four assists) to help the Blues go 2-1-0 last week in the first three games of a four-game trip that ends Tuesday in Vancouver. Former Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich is among those who’ve struggled to score, though he’s perked up recently with a five-game point streak (two goals, three assists).

Chris Kreider has enjoyed success in his limited opportunities against the Blues with eight goals and 17 points in 18 career games.

The current three-game losing streak is the longest this season for the Rangers (12-7-1), who lost for the first time after scoring the first goal Monday (10-1-0).

It was more of the same for the Rangers, who chased most of the game, allowed 40 or more shots (43) for the third consecutive contest and were out-chanced 43-30 by the Blues. In fact, St. Louis had a 20-7 advantage in high-danger chances, per Natural Stat Trick, the first time they had at least 10 this season.

It’s not like the Rangers, who are 7-7-0 in their past 14 games, are struggling against the 1980’s Edmonton Oilers or 1970’s Montreal Canadiens here. It’s anyone and everyone, including a Blues team that entered play 30th in the NHL in scoring.

“We need to be better. Everyone needs to be better inside the room,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said postgame. “It’s not good enough what we’re doing. We’re playing to a level and a standard that’s not us”

Related: Rangers trade rumors, lineup changes after extended stretch of mediocre play

3 takeaways from Rangers 5-2 loss to Blues

Here are three takeaways from the game monday.

1. Wash. Rinse. Repeat

It was more of the same Monday for the Rangers — not enough sustained pressure, too much time spent defending. Too many shots and scoring chances allowed. An unsightly xGF of 31 percent, per Natural Stat Trick. And for the sixth straight game, no help from the power play, which was 0-for-3 against the Blues and is 0-for-10 since Nov. 14.

Blame falls on everyone. But it’s hard not to focus on Mika Zibanejad’s turnovers, getting beat off the rush on Brayden Schenn’s goal early in the third period, or his minus-3 that dropped him to a team worst minus-13 this season.

Then there’s another night of looking slow and without answers for defensemen Ryan Lindgren and Jacob Trouba; each was minus-2. Trouba had an awful 21.2 percent xGF; Lindgren was not much better at 29.43 percent.

At least Chris Kreider escaped criticism. The 33-year-old forward missed his first game of the season because of an upper-body injury.

2. No answers in third period

Not to make excuses for the Rangers, but they appeared somewhat gassed in the third period. And that might be attributed to a long flight home from Edmonton, plus the time change, after a four-game road trip out west.

Remember, the Rangers were tied 2-2 entering the third period, against a struggling opponent which had won two of its previous nine games and just had its coach fired the day before. But Schenn scored 1:12 into the period on a semi-break off the rush, and the Rangers had no response. Zack Bolduc’s second of the game at 8:25 pretty much sealed the deal here. And Laviolette wasn’t happy about it.

Brayden Schenn puts the Blues ahead early in the third! 🫡 pic.twitter.com/yurnrGfbrG

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 26, 2024

“We give up a goal to start the third period, and then I don’t like the response after that,” the coach said. “That’s the time to dig in, go get the next one and bring it back to even and we weren’t able to do that.”

The Rangers were stuck on three shots on goal for most of the period and ended up with only seven with the game hanging in the balance.

3. Follow the cool kids

Perhaps the veteran Rangers should take a cue from some of the kids in the lineup. Will Cuylle delivered the first two-goal game of his NHL career and was a wrecking ball with a team-high six hits.

And look at how he scored his goals. In the first period, he planted himself above the blue paint, fought off a defenseman and had Kaapo Kakko’s shot/pass bounce off his skates and between Joel Hofer’s pads to make it 1-0. Then he tied the game in the second period by driving to the net, burying a pretty feed from Zibanejad. And note that Cuylle started that scoring play with some ferocious work on the forecheck.

Will Cuylle gives a shit.

Wins the 50/50 battle and beats his man to the net. pic.twitter.com/hYrjCz2OBF

— Jonny Lazarus (@JLazzy23) November 26, 2024

Also on that goal, another 22-year-old forward, Brett Berard, picked up the secondary assist in his NHL debut. Berard was a ball of energy and made a gorgeous behind the back feed to set up Kakko on the second power-play unit in the first period. The little guy got knocked down, got up repeatedly and helped provide what little energy the Rangers displayed Monday.

The three-game losing streak is a season high for the Rangers (12-7-1), who returned home from a 2-2-0 road trip which ended with losses to the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.

The Blues (10-12-1) outshot the Rangers 43-29, the third straight game New York surrendered 40 or more shots on goal.

“I think we’re just giving up too many chances now,” Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere said. ” We didn’t get a lot and we just gave up too many chances.”

Zack Bolduc scored his first two goals of the season for St. Louis, which won in Jim Montgomery’s debut as Blues coach. Montgomery was hired Sunday — just five days after being fired by the Boston Bruins. He replaced the fired Drew Bannister.

Brayden Schenn had a goal and an assist, Jordan Kyrou also scored for the Blues, and Joel Hofer finished with 27 saves.

Igor Shesterkin made 38 saves for the Rangers, who played without forwards Chris Kreider and Filip Chytil, each of whom has an upper-body injury.

“I don’t know if there is anything good you can find from tonight,” Artemi Panarin said.

Related: Rangers trade rumors, lineup changes before dropping puck against Blues

St. Louis Blues 5 – New York Rangers 2

The teams traded leads over the first two periods and arrived at the second intermission tied 2-2. And at the final buzzer of the second period there was a skirmish which involved several players, and ultimately the respective goalies, Shesterkin and Hofer.

Cuylle and Matt Rempe were involved wrestling with several Blues players, including Jake Neighbors, in the St. Louis end of the ice after the buzzer. Then as the players were separated, the goalies looked to exit, passed each other at center ice, clipped skates, had words and had to be separated.

J̶o̶r̶d̶a̶n̶ ̶B̶i̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶t̶o̶n̶ Joel Hofer and Igor Shesterkin going at it after the period 😳 pic.twitter.com/6Oe6T7t9Ip

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 26, 2024

Cuylle and Neighbors were assessed unsportsmanlike conduct minors, and Rempe was chuckling when Shesterkin came off the ice.

Each goalie could’ve used some rest more than an altercation at that point of the game. The Blues peppered Shesterkin with 30 shots through 40 minutes, 15 in each period. The Rangers had 23 against Hofer.

Among all those saves were one each by Shesterkin and Hofer that hit their facemask. In fact, Shesterkin had to change masks in the second period when a bar on his face mask was bent by a shot. Hofer was nailed square by a Braden Schneider right-point shot and recovered to make a sharp pad save against Vincent Trocheck late in the second.

Cuylle opened the scoring at 8:47 of the first period when Kaapo Kakko’s bouncing pass/shot deflected off his skate and between Hofer’s pads. Kyrou answered back with his seventh goal three minutes later, a one-timer near the right circle after the Rangers turned the puck over behind their own net.

Artemi Panarin’s redirection 1:50 into the second period when he was driving to the net hit the post, and less than than three minutes later the Blues took a 2-1 lead. After a relentless shift in the offensive zone and three big-time saves by a scrambling Shesterkin, the Blues scored when Bolduc chipped a rebound into the net at 4:30.

Shesterkin made another series of terrific saves to keep the deficit at one after Bolduc’s goal. That paid off at 7:20 when Cuylle scored his second of the night, ninth of the season and fourth in the past four games. The 22-year-old had a gaping net to zip the puck into after a slick Mika Zibanejad pass.

But what got the play started after a strong Cuylle forecheck was Berard’s wraparound attempt that was stopped by Hofer, but pulled the goalie away from the net. The rebound popped out to Zibanejad, who quickly dished to the wide-open Cuylle.

The pass. The finish.

Have yourself a night, Cools. pic.twitter.com/T4m70ruKe4

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 26, 2024

Berard’s parents jumped to their feet and high-fived after the game-tying goal, knowing that their son had just picked up his first NHL point with a secondary assist.

“It was awesome to have family and friends here,” Berard said. “Just tried to build off the positive shifts and learn from it.”

Before the period ended and the short sideshow commenced, Shesterkin made a sensational right-pad save to rob Brandon Saad from the low slot.

With Cuylle and Neighbors in the penalty box to begin the third period, the teams skated 4-on-4, and the Blues took advantage. Schenn snuck behind Zibanejad to score off the rush at 1:12 to make it 3-2 in favor of the Blues. Schenn beat Shesterkin from the top of the left circle, short side, for his fourth goal of the season.

The Blues had an excellent chance to extend their lead after Rempe bulldozed Neighbors at 3:44 and was sent off for roughing since the puck was nowhere near the St. Louis forward. But the Rangers did a good job killing off the penalty.

However, Bolduc’s second goal followed soon thereafter and the Blues took a 4-2 lead. After the Blues won several board battles, Colton Parayko’s point shot was blocked in front of Shesterkin, but Bolduc swooped in from the wing to bury the rebound at 8:25.

Bolduc nearly completed the hat trick at 12:55 on a breakaway, but Shesterkin denied him.

Former Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich scored an empty-net goal with 2:45 remaining and Shesterkin on the bench for an extra attacker to make it 5-2.

Before outscoring the Rangers 3-0 in the third period, the Blues had been outscored 29-17 in that frame this season.

Just 7-7-0 in their past 14 games, the Rangers look to end their three-game skid when they visit the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Wednesday.

Perhaps, the home crowd and a struggling opponent will get the Rangers going. The Rangers (12-6-1) have lost consecutive games for the first time this season after dropping the final two of their just-completed four-game road trip.

Each of those losses — 3-2 to the Calgary Flames and 6-2 to the Edmonton Oilers — featured terrible first periods when the Rangers appeared not ready to play in either contest. They allowed 41 shots in each of the past two first periods and were outscored 3-0 because Igor Shesterkin and Jonathan Quick, respectively, turned in some outrageous work between the pipes.

The Blues (9-12-1) just might be the right tonic for the Rangers. They’re 30th in the NHL, averaging a paltry 2.36 goals per game, near the bottom in both power play (25th) and penalty kill (24th) and 2-6-1 in their past nine games. St. Louis has lost six of its past seven road games (1-5-1).

There will be a new coach behind the Blues bench Monday, so perhaps that will give them some juice. Jim Montgomery, fired last week by the Boston Bruins, was named the 28th coach in Blues history after he replaced the fired Drew Bannister on Sunday.

Related: Rangers week ahead includes first meeting with Hurricanes since 2024 playoffs

3 things to watch for when Rangers host Blues

1. No more one and done

A common theme after the Rangers’ loss in Edmonton to the Oilers on Saturday was that their offense has become “one and done.” In other words no sustained pressure. Take a shot, fail to retain possession of the puck and immediately defend against a rush the other way.

It’s been that way for a while. The Rangers aren’t dictating play nearly often enough, nor winning enough puck battles. Their lack of compete shows up on the power play, too. They’ve been awarded only seven power plays in the past five games, largely because they’re not working hard enough to draw calls. More focus is on their 5v5 play, too, because the Rangers haven’t scored a power-play goal in those past five games.

It certainly wouldn’t hurt to put the Blues back on their heels by scoring first Monday. The Rangers are 10-0-0 when scoring the first goal this season and 7-0-0 when leading after the first period.

2. Roll out the big guns

The Rangers spend so much time defending recently that their offensive game has very little flow. Of course, it’d help if their big guns came out firing, and scoring.

Vincent Trocheck has one goal in his past eight games. Chris Kreider (who’s now out with an upper-body injury) has one goal in six. Mika Zibanejad is sitting on two goals in his past 13 games. Before scoring twice against the Oilers, Artemi Panarin had one goal in seven games. Adam Fox has not scored a goal all season. And Filip Chytil, who’s missed the past four games and remains out with an upper-body injury against the Blues, has one goal since Oct. 24.

The only consistent scorers lately are Alexis Lafreniere and Will Cuylle. That’s not enough. The big boys need to step up.

3. Small guy could make big impact

Brett Berard was recalled from Hartford of the American Hockey League on Sunday. He’s expected to be in the lineup, perhaps to provide a bit of a jolt. The 5-foot-9 wing brings tons of energy and speed to the lineup. Plus he has skill, leading Hartford with seven goals and 13 points in 16 games, after topping the Wolf pack with 25 goals as a rookie pro last season.

With the injury to Kreider and by the looks of things from the morning skate, there will be a major shake up among the forward line combinations. And Berard is right in the mix of it all. Berard skated on a line with Cuylle and Zibanejad. That drops Reilly Smith down to a third line centered by Kaapo Kakko with Adam Edstrom on the other wing.

Berard also skated on the second power-play unit with Cuylle, Kakko, Smith and Zac Jones.

New York Rangers projected lineup

Panarin – Trocheck – Lafreniere

Cuylle – Zibanejad – Berard

Edstrom – Kakko – Smith

Vesey – Carrick – Brodzinski

Miller – Fox

Lindgren – Trouba

Jones – Schneider

Shesterkin

Quick

Rangers vs. Blues: When, where, what time, how to watch

Who: New York Rangers vs. St. Louis Blues

When: Monday Nov. 25 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Madison Square Garden

How to Watch: MSG

Click here for New York Rangers complete 2024-25 schedule and game results

The best news for the Rangers from their just-concluded four-game trip to the Northwest is that they don’t have to go back to Alberta until next season (barring a trip to the Stanley Cup Final). After Jonathan Quick blanked the Seattle Kraken 2-0 on Nov. 17 and Igor Shesterkin helped the Rangers defeat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 two nights later, the goaltenders were buried under a barrage of shots from the two Alberta teams.

Shesterkin did everything but stand on his head in Calgary on Thursday, facing 20 shots in the first period and a total of 49 in a 3-2 loss to the Flames. Two nights later, it was Quick’s turn in the barrel; he faced 21 shots in the opening period and 40 overall in a 6-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place. The Oilers skated rings around the Rangers, who sometimes looked like they were wearing snowshoes rather that skates on a night that saw Edmonton hit by a major snowstorm. The offense generated little and the defense surrendered a boatload of Grade A scoring chances.

Three of the Rangers’ four games this week are against sub-.500 teams. The other one is a Thanksgiving Eve visit to the Hurricanes, who no doubt will be eager to exact a little revenge for last spring’s loss in the second round of the Sanley Cup Playoffs.

Who’s hot

Third-line left wing Will Cuylle continues to shine. He had a goal and an assist in the win at Vancouver and scored again in Calgary, giving him 15 points (seven goals, eight assists). He’s tied for third on the team in points – and is tied for fifth in the NHL with 79 hits.

Who’s not

Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist in the win at Vancouver. But the first-line center did nothing in the two games in Alberta, and he dropped to a team-worst minus-10 with a minus-4 showing against Connor McDavid and Co. on Saturday.

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Rangers lookahead this week includes …

Four games in six days, including a three-in-four stretch that includes the visit to Carolina on Wednesday and the afternoon games Friday at Philadelphia and Saturday at home against Montreal. By Saturday night, the Rangers will have played eight games in 14 days and traveled between each one to close out the month of November.

St. Louis Blues at Rangers (Nov. 25, 7 p.m. ET; MSG)

The Blues, and former Rangers forward Pavel Buchnevich, continue their swing through the New York area when they visit Madison Square Garden on Monday. The Rangers have dominated the all-time series with a 84-48-3 record and 16 ties, but the teams have split their past 10 games. The Garden has never been a fun stopover for the Blues; the Rangers are 51-15-1 with six ties all-time.

The Blues will play their first game under coach Jim Montgomery, who replaced the fired Drew Bannister on Sunday. Unfortunately, he can’t score for them.

St. Louis is having a terrible time scoring goals; the Blues have just six during a 1-3-0 slide and beat Ilya Sorokin just once in a 3-1 loss to the Islanders on Saturday. Buchnevich is second on the team with 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 22 games, though he has gone five games without a goal. The 29-year-old has four points (two goals, two assists) in five games against the Rangers, who traded him to the Blues on July 23, 2021.

Rangers at Carolina Hurricanes (Nov. 27, 7 p.m. ET; MSG2)

This will be the first meeting between the teams since Game 6 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring, when Chris Kreider’s third-period hat trick rallied the Rangers to a 5-3 series-clinching victory in Raleigh.

Despite losing Jake Guentzel, Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei, among others, in free agency, the Hurricanes are the same team they were last season. They push the tempo, shoot from anywhere and count on their forwards to get to the front of the net and make life miserable for opposing goalies. The most impressive player has been forward Martin Necas, who’s second on the ‘Canes in goals (11, one behind ex-Rangers forward Jack Roslovic) and is tops in assists (22) and points (33).

Carolina has issues between the peipes, though. Frederik Andersen is out 8-12 weeks with a knee injury that required surgery, and Pyotr Kochetkov was injured in overtime during a 5-4 shootout loss at the Columbus Blue Jackets. If Kochetkov is sidelined, journeyman Spencer Martin, who replaced Kochetkov against the Blue Jackets, is next in line.

Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers (Nov. 29, 1 p.m. ET; MSG2)

The Rangers spend Black Friday afternoon renewing acquaintances with the Flyers and former coach John Tortorella. It will be their first look at Philadelphia’s prized rookie, forward Matvei Michkov, who’s an early favorite for the Calder Trophy and had the overtime winner Saturday in a 3-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Shesterkin has excelled against the Flyers in his career, 8-3-1 with a 2.23 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. Artemi Panarin has also piled up big numbers against the orange and black; he has 14 goals and 44 points in 33 games.

The Flyers hope No. 1 goaltender Samuel Ersson will be back this week from a lower-body injury sustained at practice Nov. 13. He is 5-2-2 with a 2.70 GAA and a .902 save percentage. Philadelphia’s other two goalies, Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov, are a combined 5-8-0 with a save percentage of .876.

Montreal Canadiens at Rangers (Nov. 30, 1 p.m. ET; MSG/NHL Network)

The Rangers will try to make it 2-for-2 this season against their longtime rival. Their 7-2 victory at Bell Centre on Oct. 22 was the most goals they’d scored in Montreal since a 7-3 win on Feb. 22, 1972.

New York is 201-343-4 with 94 ties all-time against Montreal but has won three in a row, outscoring Montreal 19-8, and is 7-2-1 in the last 10 meetings.

The Canadiens, who are next-to-last in the overall standings, enter the week 7-11-2, tied with Chicago for the fewest points in the League (16). They are coming off a 6-2 home loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, a game that fell apart in the second period when Vegas scored five unanswered goals.

Through Saturday, Montreal’s minus-21 goal differential is tied for third-worst in the NHL, and the Canadiens start the week without a player who has a plus rating — defenseman Kaiden Guhle is even, the other 22 players are minus-1 or worse, with forward Kirby Dach at minus-15, fourth-worst in the NHL.

Skating for the St. Louis Blues in their home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, Buchnevich dropped the gloves with Pontus Holmberg at 8:50 of the third period, with the Blues leading 2-1 and on the power play.

After teammate Jake Neighbours took a slashing penalty — following a massive check thrown by the Maple Leafs — players from both sides converged in a scrum inside Toronto’s zone. Buchnevich, was along the wall when all of a sudden he sprinted into the fray.

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Buchnevich threw a headlock on Holmberg, yanked him out of the pile and wrestled him to the ice. Holmberg got up ready to fight, but Buchnevich beat him to the punch — literally and figuratively. The 29-year-old threw six consecutive punches, landing at least one big right to the face and another to to the back of the head that drove the Maple Leafs forward back down to the ice.

Saturday night's alright for fighting 🥊

Pavel Buchnevich lays some HEAVY punches on Pontus Holmberg pic.twitter.com/gLJ9NNi6DO

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 3, 2024

If not a knockout, it was at least a clear TKO for Buchnevich.

Now, this wasn’t exactly Ryan Reaves whom Buchnevich was fighting. But it was an impressive performance nonetheless.

Buchnevich added an exclamation point to his night when he hammered a shot into the empty net to seal a 4-2 victory, in what was former coach Craig Berube’s return to St. Louis as Maple Leafs coach.

Also Read: Giant Rangers prospect extends point streak, but Wolf Pack lose again

Pavel Buchnevich had five fights with Rangers

According to HockeyFights.com, this was Buchnevich’s first fight since Feb. 12, 2021 when he was with the Rangers. He fought Jeremy Lauzon, then of the Boston Bruins. So, this was Buchenvich’s first fight as a member of the Blues, whom he joined in a trade ahead of the 2021-22 season.

By the count of HockeyFights.com, Buchnevich has now had six fights in the NHL, including two in the 2017-18 season. Most memorable was his March 30, 2018, fight with Steven Stamkos, then captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, at Madison Square Garden.

A year later, Buchnevich squared off with Lightning forward Brayden Point at the Garden.

More lover than fighter, Buchnevich has 408 points (166 goals, 242 assists) in 529 NHL games after being selected in the third round (No. 75 overall) of the 2013 draft. His goal Saturday gives him four this season, along with three assists.

He’s a five-time 20-goal scorer, who scored 30 with the Blues in 2021-22.

Buchnevich had only one minor penalty this season before adding five more minutes to his total Saturday.

It’s been nearly three years since the Rangers traded Buchnevich to the Blues on July 23, 2021. Since that day, Buchnevich has scored at pretty much a point-per-game pace with 206 points in 216 regular-season games and has at least 26 goals in each of his three seasons with the Blues, including an NHL career-high 30 in 2021-22. And now he’s got himself a fairly sizeable payday in St. Louis.

As for the Rangers, they’ve done quite well since that trade, with three straight 100-point seasons, a Presidents’ Trophy and two trips to the Eastern Conference Final. What they haven’t done since that trade is effectively replace Buchnevich on the line centered by Mika Zibanejad.

And some would argue that’s what’s held the Rangers back from winning the Stanley Cup.

Zibanejad and left-wing BFF Chris Kreider have put up some impressive numbers. But they simply have not been able to form consistent chemistry with any of the host of right wings that have tried to replace Buchnevich, who had excellent chemistry, especially with Zibanejad.

Frank Vatrano was the best of the lot, fitting in nicely on the top line after being acquired ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. He mixed well with Zibanejad and Kreider all the way through an exciting Stanley Cup Playoff run that ended in a six-game loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the conference final.

Patrick Kane, Vladimir Tarasenko, Kaapo Kakko, Blake Wheeler, Jimmy Vesey and Dryden Hunt (!) are among those who tried and failed to replace Buchnevich — though it should be pointed out that Alexis Lafreniere scored 28 goals when he switched to right wing this past season, just not on Zibanejad’s line.

Meanwhile, Buchnevich has been a model of consistency with the Blues, second on the team the past three seasons with 83 goals and 123 assists. And now he’s a cornerstone with the franchise, signed with the Blues through his age-36 season in 2030-31. When his extension kicks in for the 2025-26 season, he will be the third-highest paid player on the Blues.

Related: Former Rangers center lands stunning free-agent contract

Reilly Smith could be latest player Rangers try to replace Pavel Buchnevich with

The Rangers acquired veteran forward Reilly Smith in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins for two draft picks Monday. The 33-year-old will be in the mix to play right wing on the Zibanejad line when training camp opens in September.

Perhaps Smith will be able to unlock Zibanejad and Kreider at 5v5, though there are doubts considering his production in Pittsburgh tumbled to 13 goals and 40 points last season after he scored 26 goals in 2022-23.

He won’t be handed the opportunity, though. The Rangers may not be done looking outside the organization for a top-six right wing, perhaps in another trade. The Rangers will take a long look at internal candidates like rookie Brennan Othmann and returning wings Will Cuylle and Kakko. Perhaps even Filip Chytil, who played right wing this spring during the playoffs, will get a look in that spot.

None of that is a concern for Buchnevich, who’ll be trying to help the Blues get back into the playoffs for the first time in three years.