The Blues Sounded off against the Rangers

The New York Rangers returned to Madison Square Garden for a quick home game to take on the St. Louis Blues. The Rangers not only recalled Matt Rempe to the team, but they also called up Brett Berard from the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL. The Blues recently hired Jim Montgomery as they quickly snatched him up after the Boston Bruins fired him for their poor start to the season. This should be a good matchup, but it’s time for the Rangers to put that four game road trip in their rearview mirror.

In the first period, the Rangers were able to get on the board first as they attacked the Blues zone. Zac Jones passed the puck to Kappo Kakko who ripped a shot at the far side and it was saved, but he got the rebound and skated around the back of the net, then to the near point, and ripped another shot, but it deflected off of Will Cuylle who beats Hofer at 8:47. But the Blues would tie it up thanks to some poor puck possession by the Rangers. Mika Zibanejad gave a soft pass to Ryan Lindgren and he wasn’t expecting Braden Schenn to sneak up behind him and check him into the backboards. He skated behind the net sent a hard pass to Jordan Kyrou and whipped it hard past Shesterkin at 11:45.

In the second period, the Blues just kept skating and cycling inside the Rangers zone. They would stop putting on the pressure, then Dylan Holloway and Radak Faksa tried to stuff the puck and couldn’t until Zack Bolduc was able to put home the loose puck and just beat Shesterkin by going over his left pad at the near post at 4:30. The Rangers snapped back into the game and tie it up at two, Will Cuylle started the play, then lost the puck, but Brett Berard got it back, made a quick pass to Mika Zibanejad, who found Cuylle trailing the play and stuffed it into a wide open net for his second of the game as Hofer stayed too long at his near post at 7:20. Brett Berard earned his first NHL point on the play. After the buzzer sounded there was a spat between Will Cuylle and Jake Neighbours as they started to tussle, then Matt Rempe got involved, and it started from the near corner all the way to the far boards near the Rangers entrance to their locker room, then the goalies got into a huff at center ice between Shesterkin and Hofer, but nothing came of it.

In the third period, both teams started four on four, and once again; the Blues regained the lead. That poor play by Zibanejad to play the puck behind the Blues net, they broke out as Scott Perunovich made a strong pass to Braden Schenn down the far side, and he went short side to beat Shesterkin at the far post at 1:12. The Blues got their two Holloway goal lead battling it out along the near boards, as Holloway moved the puck from the boards back to the near point to Colton Parayko who fired it wide of the net, but the puck bounced from the back boards to the middle of the ice and Bolduc scored his second of the game at 8:25. The Rangers pulled Shesterkin for an extra skater, and unfortunately got scored on by former Ranger Pavel Buchnevich as he skated in with ease and tucked it home at 17:15. The Rangers failed to generate shots in the third period and whenever they tried to get one through, either the Blues blocked them, or Hofer made the save. Joel Hofer got the win making twenty seven saves from twenty nine shots, now the Rangers will take a quick road trip down to Raleigh to face the Carolina Hurricanes and then a black Friday afternoon on Turkey holiday to play the Philadelphia Flyers, before returning to MSG to host the Montreal Canadiens.

Will Cuylle: Recorded his first career multi-goal game and fifth multi-point game of the season. Cuylle has points in four of his last five games (4G-2A) and has 17 points (9G-8A) in 20 games this season.

Brett Berard: Made his NHL debut, recording an assist. Berard is the first player in franchise history to wear No. 65.

Kappo Kakko: Collected his ninth assist of the season. He has points in three of his last five games (1G-3A).