GDT #64: Blues @ Rangers | 6:30 pm CT | BSMW, 101 ESPN

[theohall]

BLUES After a disappointing loss in Newark, NJ on Thursday, the Blues will look to get to .500 on their five-game Eastern Conference road trip when they visit the New York Rangers on Saturday.

The Devils came out strong against a Blues team that was playing their third game in four days on the road, and it paid dividends for the hosts. At the 13:24 mark of the first period, Timo Meier scored his first of what would be three in the game off a quick backhand shot while driving the post. It would take less than three minutes for Meier to double the lead for the Devils when he fired a shot from the slot past Binnington.

Meier would score one more to complete the hat trick, but not without Brandon Saad and the Blues scoring their first of the game early in the second. Erik Haula scored an empty net goal to make it 4-1 and the Devils snapped their three-game losing streak.

The Blues turn their attention to the Rangers on Saturday with a crucial two points on the line. The last time these two met on Jan. 11 at Enterprise Center, the Blues won in dominant fashion by a score of 5-2. In that game, three of the five Blues goals were scored on the power-play.

Going into Saturday’s game, the Blues power-play will look to regain momentum after being kept scoreless on Thursday. When asked about the Blues' power-play after Thursday’s game, Robert Thomas, the team's leading scorer, was not hesitant to explain the club has two units that can create chances. “Power-play was good tonight. (We) didn’t get a goal but moved the puck well and had a ton of good chances. You keep doing that and you’re going to find success.”

The Blues go into Saturday’s game with a record of 32-28-3 and 67 points. The Blues currently sit in the first spot out of the Western Conference Wildcard with one game in hand on Nashville.

RANGERS The well-rested New York Rangers welcome the Blues, who are on a five-game road trip against only Eastern Conference teams. The Rangers haven’t played since Monday (a 4-2 loss to the Panthers at Madison Square Garden), while the Blues will be playing their fourth game since then when the two teams go head to head on Saturday night at MSG.

The Rangers have played some of their best hockey at home this season, boasting a record of 21-8-0 at The Garden. After winning seven of their last 10 - and losing two in a row for the first time since late January - NY will be leaning on their point leaders in Artemi Panarin, Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck to right the ship and get back in the win column.

Panarin leads the charge with 85 points (30 goals, 50 assists) through 62 games, while the next closest Blue Shirt on the points leaderboard is Trocheck with 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists). Panarin comes into Saturday’s contest with points in four straight, while Trocheck has points in three straight.

Five of the Rangers remaining 10 games in the month of March will feature a divisional opponent, meaning there will be vital points up for grabs for a team looking to secure home ice for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Rangers sit atop the Metropolitan Division (and third in the Eastern Conference) with a record of 40-18-4, amassing a total 84 points thus far in the season. As of Friday evening, the Rangers are four points ahead of Carolina for first in the division.

HEAD-TO-HEAD Saturday's game will be the second and final meeting of the two teams this season after St. Louis defeated New York by a score of 5-2 in St. Louis on Jan. 11.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
BLUES Jordan Kyrou had a hat trick the last time the teams clashed. WIth only one goal in his last nine games, the Blues will look for an encore performance against the Rangers.

RANGERS Chris Kreider sits second in goals (31) and third in points (57) on the club. After dropping points in two straight games, New York will be looking for him to keep his goal-scoring touch alive to help push past the visiting Blues.

BLUE NOTES
Since Jan. 11, Jake Neighbours has five power-play goals, which shares seventh in the NHL, while Kyrou shares 19th in that span with four.

The Blues have won back-to-back games against the Rangers and are 5-2-0 in their last seven meetings.

The Blues have scored at least three goals in seven straight matchups against the Rangers, outscoring them 29-20 over those games.

The Blues currently sit six points out of the Western Conference Wild Card spot and will play all five other teams in the Wild Card race at least once more this season.

The Blues are 25-3-1 when scoring first this season, which shares the sixth most wins in the NHL.

These next two are ones I would expect the Blues to lose, but it's been a season of opposites most of this season winning against teams they shouldn't and losing to teams they should beat. One positive - the team knows no one is going anywhere this season, but that could also be a negative with players laying off and not even giving a crap about the playoffs. We'll see.

[theohall]

Based on the games vs NJ and the Rangers, it looks like this team is taking the rest of the season off.

Wow... 46 shot attempts vs the Rangers.... super easy shutout for Shesterkin.

They somehow managed 62 vs the Islanders, but it seemed way lower since only 24 reached the goalie and until the power play late in the 1st, they'd had a whopping 5 shot attempts in 17 minutes. No one wins hockey games by shooting the puck once every 3 and half minutes.

[glen a richter]

May as well pack it in for the season and climb as high as possible on the draft board. There’s one particular RHD I have my eye on I hope they can nab. Get into the top 10 and it could happen.