Rangers vs Blues: Rangers Lose Third Straight With 3-1 Loss to St. Louis
The New York Rangers dropped their third straight game this evening after they were defeated 3-1 by the St. Louis Blues. New York played extremely well defensively and had their fair share of scoring chances, but couldn’t pickup anything more than a single goal. Jordan Binnington had one heck of a game in a crease for St. Louis and made several crucial saves during the final period of play with the Rangers pressuring.
1st Period
Mika Zibanejad (33) PPG - Ryan Strome (41) & Pavel Bucnevich (25) - 12:26 1st Period
The Rangers came out with strong offensive zone pressure in the first period, and they were able to draw tripping penalty on Robert Bortuzzo midway through the frame. New York made quick work of St. Louis on the ensuing power play as Mika Zibanejad finished off a pretty passing play between Ryan Strome and Pavel Buchnevich. The early goal in this game gave New York the crucial first goal as they continued to apply pressure.
2nd Period
Colton Parayko (9) PPG - Unassisted - 2:35 2nd Period
Just two minutes into the second period, the Rangers took a penalty of their own and sent St. Louis to their first power play of the night. The Rangers were able to kill off a good chunk of the man-advantage before the puck landed in the high slot, and Colton Parayko finished off the rebound. Alexandar Georgiev was unable to adjust his positioning through the traffic in front, and Parayko beat him just inside of the left goal post.
3rd Period
Brayden Schenn (25) - Jaden Schwartz (33) & Colton Parayko (18) - 9:56 3rd Period
With the Rangers continuing to apply pressure early in the third period, St. Louis was able to catch a fortunate bounce below the goal line. As Brayden Schenn circled the net, he directed a shot towards the net and the puck deflected it in off of Georgiev’s right skate. It looked as if Georgiev was anticipating the pass, and didn’t have his stick set on the ice to prevent the wrap around chance.
Jaden Schwartz (21) ENG - Ryan O’Reilly (47) & Brayden Schenn (30) - 19:54 3rd Period
New York pulled the goaltender with under a minute remaining in regulation and went to work in the offensive zone. Kaapo Kakko had a golden chances a few moments prior by the Rangers were unable to get anything past Jordan Binnington. Jaden Schwartz eventually iced the game on a clearing attempt and gave the Blues their eighth straight victory.
The Rangers played well enough to pick up at least a point in this game, but the Blues were able to lock down the game after taking the lead. Unfortunately, the offense was held pretty much in check tonight and Jordan Binnington was the main reason behind that. The games aren’t going to get any easier as the schedule continues to wind down, and the Rangers will look ahead to Thursday night against the Washington Capitals.