Rangers at Blues
Teams headed in the opposite direction meet in the Gateway City on Saturday as the ice-cold New York Rangers face the red-hot St. Louis Blues. Coach Alain Vigneault's first year at the helm has started off on the wrong foot as the Rangers have been outscored by a 20-6 margin - including a disastrous 15-2 stretch in their last two losses. "It's probably the first time in all my years in New York that we've looked this bad," Henrik Lundqvist told the New York Post.
The stud goaltender has been anything but, making an early exit in a 9-2 loss to San Jose on Tuesday before getting shelled two nights later in a 6-0 thrashing by Anaheim. Residing at the other end of the spectrum is St. Louis, which has outscored its foes 14-4 en route to matching a franchise-best start to a season. Alex Steen scored with 22 seconds remaining in the third period of the Blues' 3-2 victory over reigning Stanley Cup-champion Chicago on Wednesday.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, MSG (New York), FSN Midwest (St. Louis)
ABOUT THE RANGERS (1-3-0): With All-Star Rick Nash nursing a head injury, Jesper Fast was inserted into the lineup alongside Taylor Pyatt and Derek Stepan on Thursday. The trio didn't fare well from the onset, as it was on the ice for all three first-period goals by the Ducks. Offense continues to be an issue as Brad Richards' three goals equal the sum total of the rest of the team.
ABOUT THE BLUES (3-0-0): Jaroslav Halak has been in net for all three victories, recording one shutout while posting a 1.34 goals-against average and .948 save percentage. The 28-year-old is a likely candidate to start his team's next three games as well, given the team's sporadic schedule. Vladimir Tarasenko has scored two goals in as many games to sit one behind Steen for the team lead.
OVERTIME
1. The Blues also won their first three games to start a season in both 1969-70 and 1993-94.
2. New York is in the midst of a nine-game road trip due to renovations being completed at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers' home opener is Oct. 28 against Original Six rival Montreal.
3. Steen collected a goal and an assist while Brian Elliott turned aside 25 shots as St. Louis posted a 4-1 victory over New York in the last meeting on Dec. 15, 2011.