Game Day Preview- New York Rangers vs St. Louis Blues 12-15-2011
New York Rangers
(17-7-4)
vs
St. Louis Blues
(17-9-3)
at
Scottrade Center
Game Time 7:00 pm CDT
Blues Team Recap- The Blues have been playing very well since Ken Hitchcock took over the team from former coach Davis Payne. With 37 points, the Blues sit right in the middle of the pack in the Western Conference as this season approaches the half way point. Strong play from both goal tenders has helped the Blues build the confidence they need to play a fast 200 ft game each night. If the Blues can keep this pace up, they will secure themselves a spot in the playoffs come April. Many fans have begun doing any form of dance they can to ward off the evil spirits when it comes to injuries. With Vlad Sabotka out for an unknown amount of time with a lower body injury, forward Evgeny Grachev was recalled from Peoria. Let’s hope losing Sobotka wont hurt our PK efforts too much or our overall fore checking ability.
Blues Keys To The Game- Get goals early against Lundqvist. To let Lundy get on his game is to almost assure defeat. Play the Rangers with a fast and strong physical presence and not give up many odd man chances. The Rangers are a very talented team and they can make you look very bad very quickly if you give them the chance. The Blues will need to continue to play their stingy defensive game and make better on their scoring opportunities that they are given. Not putting slam dunk opportunities in the net will come back to haunt them some day. Lets just hope the the Blues figure this out before it gets out of hand and their goals per game suffers too much.
Rangers Team Recap- The Rangers are 3-2 in their last 5 games. They lost their last game in which only one goal was scored in the third period against the Dallas Stars. The Rangers are always a hard team to face and they will look to shine as they take on a red hot St. Louis Blues team. The Rangers have played well this season as their record would indicated but coach Torts would tell you that some nights his group has played with little to no effort and that just does not sit right with him. One could suspect that the Rangers will make the playoffs this season so long as they continue to win they games that they should, and some of the ones they possibly shouldn’t. Good teams find ways to win close games when they are down and the Rangers certainly are a team that never quits on a game.
Rangers Keys To The Game- Tonight the Rangers are in Blues town. The St. Louis Blues play a fast transition game and keep the puck out of their own zone. Possession and puck responsibility are going a long way in the Lou. Coming from mediocrity, the Blues are back in the thick of things in the Western Conference up to this point. The Rangers will need to eat a big bowl of Wheaties prior to tonight’s game if they want to be able to stand tall against the very physical play of St. Louis. Goals early and often are key against St. Louis. You have to get them going backwards and you need to do it early. If you should accomplish this you had better not take your foot off the gas pedal because they will come roaring back on the outside and pass you in the end. Make St. Louis take bad penalties and use the man advantage to get some quick scores. If the Rangers want two points tonight they are going to have to out work the high flying Blues. Can they do it? We will see shortly.
Blues News- Andy McDonald is starting to show signs of improvement according some of of the Blues beat writers. No official news have come out about #10 to this point, but we will keep you updated with the very latest. Vlad Sobotka, after taking a shot off the ankle at practice, will be out indefinitely. No word as to his specific injury, but a time frame of approximately two weeks out has been given. Kent Huskins remains out with an injured ankle as well. Kent should be back with the team in the coming weeks.
Tonight should be a good match up of skill and physicality. Will the Blues be able to keep the high scoring Rangers down? The scene is set, the players are ready to go. Rest assured that both teams will be working hard under the eye of the HBO 24/7 cameras tonight! LETS GET THIS PARTY STARTED! Let’s Go Blues!!
