Recap: Rangers Grind Out Win, Defeat Blues 2-1 in OT

Tonight, the New York Rangers are visiting Missouri to face the St. Louis Blues. After dropping five of their last six games, the Rangers are eager for a win against the middling Blues. Multiple roster changes have occurred since the loss to the Vancouver Canucks, starting with the team assigning Brett Berard and Jaroslav Chmelar to the Hartford Wolf Pack and recalling Gabe Perreault and Brennan Othmann from the AHL.

The two youngsters recalled from the AHL were inserted into the lineup right away. Leading up to the game, it was reported that Artemi Panarin was feeling under the weather and would be a game-time decision, hence the lines you see below that Mike Sullivan unhappily scooped out of his Vitamix blender.

First Period

The Rangers came to the Enterprise Center ready to play, testing Binnington early and applying pressure in the St. Louis Blues zone. They would dominate the majority of the period on the ice and across most stat lines. It was turning into a physical game, with chattering and jawing among players, with the Rangers out-checking the Blues.

Despite the Rangers dominating the period, they would be held scoreless, and, as is customary for them this season, their opponent would strike first. This time, the first goal of the game for the Blues would come in the waning minutes of the period.

Similar to the fluke goal against Vancouver, the Blues' first goal was an odd one. Shesterkin would collect the puck and stickhandle it, looking to dish it out and start the rush. He saucered it over to Gavrikov on the boards, who struggled to handle it, and Dvorsky disrupted the play and knocked the puck over to Berggren. Berggren, recently claimed on waivers from the Detroit Red Wings, cut towards the net from the side and sent a sharp-angle shot right over Shesterkin. The Blues would walk into the first intermission with the lead.

Second Period

Just as the first period was uneventful, the second was packed with action. However, similar to the first period, the Rangers controlled most of the second as well. The physicality of the game was ramping up and finally reached its breaking point just under two minutes into the period. In a sequence that saw Perreault called for tripping, Will Borgen cross-checked Otto Stenberg, and Jake Neighbours took issue with it, leading to a scrum happening near the boards after the whistle. Borgen and Neighbours would both join Perreault in the box, leading to a Blues power play.

The Rangers killed off the penalty, and the ice evened out for a few minutes. Braden Schneider was having a standout game, making great defensive plays by diving and breaking up dangerous scoring chances, and putting the body on the Blues. He knocked down Pavel Buchnevich, who was immediately furious and took a run at Schneider, who casually sidestepped him, causing Buchnevich to go sprawling past him.

Close to five minutes into the period, Justin Faulk was called for tripping, leading the Rangers to their first power play of the game. Unlike in recent games, the five-man power play unit did not take the ice, and Scott Morrow was given a chance to run the power play. The first unit ultimately didn't capitalize on its opportunities, so the second unit, which included Gabe Perreault, got its turn. Entering the offensive zone, Laba sent the puck across to Cuylle. With Perreault rushing the net, Cuylle shot the puck toward the goal, and it ricocheted off Perreault past Binnington for his first career NHL goal. Cuylle quickly scooped up the puck, and the game was now tied at one.

As the period continued, the teams traded penalties, with Othmann and Lafrenière taking late-period penalties. Neither team scored on the man advantage, and the second period ended tied at one.

Third Period

As the final frame began, the Blues took the reins and spent a long time in the Rangers' zone cycling the puck and getting multiple opportunities to take the lead, but Shesterkin and several other Rangers got in front of shots, keeping the game tied at one.

The Blues continued to control the period and make up the big difference in shots. The Rangers were struggling to get anything going, and it was looking more and more dire. The two teams continued to play past the whistle with mini scrums happening now and then. Carrick and Schenn took issue with each other, got into it, then separated to go to their benches. The cameras later panned to Carrick, who was continuing to jaw at Schenn and the other Blues' players.

As the period wound down, the Rangers' first real scoring chance emerged, and it was quite a play. Miller, charging into the net, was knocked down and collided with Binnington. Still, he had a shot at the puck, and from his knees, he swung at it, helplessly watching it bounce off the post. Dave Maloney went on to say that even if he had managed to put the puck in the net, it would have been challenged, but it was a comedic, dangerous opportunity that once again yielded no results.

Overtime

The Rangers were mainly on the defensive during most of the overtime period. Several times, they attempted a long pass past the Blues' defense, only for it to backfire, leading to an odd-man rush and forcing Shesterkin to make a big save.

Halfway through the overtime period, the Rangers surprised us all. Trocheck gathered the puck and skated it through the neutral zone. He floated to the left side boards, turned, and dished it to Miller at the blue line. Miller handled the puck and took a couple of steps to the top of the circle and unleashed a wicked wrist shot that went right past Binnington, who Suter and Gavrikov screened. This was Miller's third OT goal of the season. The Rangers would escape St. Louis with two points.