Rangers dominate Blues, 5-0
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[November 02, 2016]
NEW YORK -- At some point this
season, the New York Rangers will fall off their average of four
goals per game and they won't find themselves demolishing the NHL's
best teams on a regular basis.
For now, however, that's exactly what they're doing.
Five players scored goals and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped
all 35 shots as the Rangers pummeled the St. Louis Blues 5-0 at
Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
Rookie left winger Jimmy Vesey scored his sixth goal and added two
assists as the Rangers followed their 6-1 beatdown of the Tampa Bay
Lightning on Sunday with another dominant performance against one of
the top teams in the Western Conference.
The Rangers (7-3-0) entered the game as the league's top offensive
team and increased their lead in that area with their five-goal
attack. But perhaps the most encouraging part of the victory was the
performance by Lundqvist, who had a .901 save percentage in a
characteristically subpar October.
"This was his best game so far this year, there's no doubt," Rangers
coach Alain Vigneault said. "The difference was Hank made those two
breakaway saves and when we had opportunities, we were able to
capitalize."
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Lundqvist was at his best in the second period, when left winger
Rick Nash and right winger Mats Zuccarello scored to extend the lead
to 4-0. Lundqvist stopped 16 shots, including a breakaway chance
from left winger Robby Fabbri when the score was still 2-0.
"Even when we were three-up in the second, they kept coming," said
Lundqvist, whose save percentage now sits at a more respectable
.917. "A game can change so much with the skill they have up front.
There have been a lot of games so far this year that have had low
shots, and sometimes it's hard to come up with that extra save when
you're not involved in the game. But today there were shots,
chances, and I felt like I was tested a lot and it felt good."
Defenseman Dan Girardi scored a 4-on-4 goal at 9:37 of the first
period to start the scoring, then Vesey scored his sixth goal, which
ties him for the league lead with eight other players, on a power
play at 11:11 to make it 2-0.
The game was all but over at that point, as the Blues (5-3-2) hadn't
scored more than one goal in a game over the previous three
contests. Goaltender Jake Allen allowed four goals on 20 shots
before yielding the net to backup Carter Hutton, who allowed center
Kevin Hayes to score with 1:43 remaining in the second period on a
3-on-1 rush.
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![](../images/110216PICS/sports69.jpg)
Rangers left wing Chris Kreider (20) looks to clear the puck during
the second period against the St. Louis Blues at Madison Square
Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
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"I think when we get our chances, it's as a unit of five," Blues
center Paul Stastny said. "We have to create more to get some power
plays. Even if you're not scoring, you kind of get momentum with the
puck and you're getting more chances and eventually going to make
them crack. It starts with my line from the top and then all the way
down, we need to get better."
It would be difficult for the Rangers to get any better than they
have been over the first 10 games. They're first in goals scored,
have converted 23.7 percent of their power-play chances and the one
underperforming player -- Lundqvist, their best player -- had his
best game of the season Tuesday night.
The Rangers overwhelmed a notoriously stingy team and left their
coach impressed.
"Could've been 2-0, could've been 1-0; The way they were playing,
they were in control," Blues coach Ken Hitchcock said. "Their game
was in control. They were in control. Their team play was excellent.
They're well-coached. Their team plays excellent and it should be an
eye opener for everybody in the league. It's a real eye opener for
us."
NOTES: Blues D Jay Bouwmeester played his 1,000th career NHL game.
He made his NHL debut on Oct. 10, 2002, as a member of the Florida
Panthers. ... St. Louis D Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) did not play
although he did travel with the team for its two-game road trip to
New York and Dallas. ... Rangers LW Chris Kreider was back in the
lineup after a four-game absence due to neck spasms. ... The Rangers
scratched LW Oscar Lindberg to make room for Kreider.
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