Rangers at Blues Recap

Follow the BSB Snap!

The Rangers dropped a game to the Blues last night in St. Louis, and boy do we have some things to unpack here. What needs to be said prior to this bullet point recap is this: the Rangers played well and were on the wrong side of PDO last night, so let’s take this loss with a grain (or twelve) of salt.

• The first goal, and beginning of the game, featured some bouncing pucks and attempts to settle play. The goal was a bad hop over Girardi’s stick at the blue line for a Tarasenko breakaway. Fun fact: he doesn’t miss those. Ever.

• Whatever Chris Kreider was doing this offseason was well worth it. I love him going to the front of the net and love how cohesive the play on this line with Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich is. These guys fly.
• Speaking of great lines, I really love the fourth line. Each game it seems a different guy is standing out. Tonight was Grabner’s turn.
• Grabner is impressive. Things will get really interesting when Oscar Lindberg comes back. I wonder what kind of a trade may be in the works.
• More praise: the Rangers backcheck this season so far looks great. Almost as if the forwards know they have to cover a bit defensively 🙂
• OK, a little bad. The defense. Not great. Take the second Blues goal, for example: why are Stastny and Steen just hanging out in front of the net? Holden was just looking at Stastny and Staal was nowhere to be found. We really need Klein back…
• ….or Kevin Shattenkirk in a Rangers jersey.
• Looks like we will have some time with no Dan Girardi, too, as he’s out “more than day to day” with a hip flexor injury, per Steve Zipay.
• Colton Parayko reminds me of another great Colton: Colton Orr. He who taught Brandon Dubinsky how to fight.
• Some more good things: the Rangers respond now. The third Blues goal was followed up 30 seconds later by a Zibanejad goal, one of the poor goals given up by a surprisingly good Carter Hutton last night, letting one in on the near post.
• The Rangers ended the game outshooting the Blues 11-0 12 minutes into the 3rd, and with a final SOG of 35-18 in favor of the Blueshirts.
• The Rangers were also 58% in the face-off circle. Good job, centers.

The bad is clearly that the Rangers lost, but if you keep up with the play from tonight, you’re bound to win games. Overall a great, entertaining game against a very good opponent.