Blues at Rangers
The New York Rangers begin life without captain Ryan McDonagh when they host the St. Louis Blues on Monday. McDonagh will be sidelined for three to four weeks with his second separated shoulder in eight months and fellow defenseman Kevin Klein won't face the Blues due to a bruised foot also suffered in Saturday's 1-0 shootout loss to Winnipeg. Rick Nash obviously was kept off the scoresheet versus the Jets but continued his dominance against the Blues with two goals and an assist in New York's season-opening 3-2 triumph on Oct. 9.
Cam Talbot has been confirmed to start in favor of Henrik Lundqvist, who made 23 saves in the first meeting but owns a 1-4-0 career record versus St. Louis. While the Rangers fell in the bonus format on Saturday, the Blues extended their winning streak to four games with a 3-2 shootout victory over Colorado. Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice in regulation and has recorded five of his six goals this season over the last three contests.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, RSN, TVA, FSN Midwest (St. Louis), MSG (New York)
ABOUT THE BLUES (6-3-1): Brian Elliott won his third straight start but owns a 1-4-1 career mark versus the Rangers, leading to Jake Allen perhaps getting the nod after he stopped all 24 shots he faced in a 2-0 triumph over Anaheim on Thursday. Jaden Schwartz, who recorded a goal and an assist in the teams' first meeting, has been kept off the scoresheet in each of his last three contests. Captain David Backes returned from a one-game absence due to a concussion on Saturday and T.J. Oshie, who is nursing the same ailment, is expected to travel with the team on its two-game road trip that concludes Tuesday in New Jersey.
ABOUT THE RANGERS (5-4-1): With the blue line riddled by injury, Dan Girardi registered a regular-season career-high 34:50 of ice time, Marc Staal had 29:33 and offseason acquisitions Matt Hunwick (27:58) and Mike Kostka (21:56) logged considerable minutes as well. The latter pair were in the lineup primarily due to Dan Boyle's hand injury and John Moore's five-game suspension. “You never expect for something like that to happen, to lose two defensemen in the first period," Hunwick told the New York Daily News. "But you try to play smart out there, use your energy wisely and try to make as many good plays as possible and play in the (offensive) zone if you can.”
OVERTIME
1. New York C Derek Stepan (fractured fibula) practiced in a no-contact jersey on Sunday but will not play versus St. Louis. The Rangers also placed LW Ryan Malone on waivers.
2. The Blues are just 1-for-14 on the power play in the last four games and went 0-for-5 versus the Rangers in the season opener.
3. New York failed on all five power-play opportunities on Saturday and fell to 2-for-28 on the campaign.