NY Rangers (16-15-4) at St Louis Blues (13-15-7)
• 18 December 2025 20:00 EST
• Enterprise Center, St. Louis
• TV: MSG, FDSNMW •
The Rangers take on another team tonight that has a lower P% than they do – the St. Louis Blues, owner of a 0.471 record compared to the Blue Shirt’s 0.514. These are the games that the NYR must win if they are to have any hope of getting to the playoffs this postseason. After events of the past few games, no surprise that fans are concerned. Clearly management is as well, at least to some extent, having recalled (again) Brendan Othmann and Gabe Perreault. While talk is that Perreault will only play if Panarin is a no go (flu), we suspect he’ll be here after the box of tissues runs out. Othmann, however, is probably on his last chance with the Rangers at the NHL level if this stint is more than an emergency call up. Going back the other way to Hartford were Berad and Chmelař.
Pick which ever version of 500 you like better – the Blues 5-5-0 or the NYR 4-4-2 in their respective last ten. The Blues most recent game was a win over WPG. Their PPs are similarily weak, though the Blues have a bottom rung PK. And lets just say that this is a season that Jordan Binnington (7-8-5, 3.49 GAA, 0.869 SV%) probably wants to forget. STL has a long injury list: Jordan Kyrou (lower body), Dylan Holloway (high ankle sprain), Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist), Nathan Walker (upper body), Nick Bjugstad (upper body)
Shesterkin (13-11-3, 2.71 GAA, 0.903 SV%) will be back in net for the Rangers. In regards the two new kids, uncertain status tonight – we’ve heard one, both, or neither so 🤷♂️ In other news, Fox was skating at praccy with the red non-contact jersey. Still a few games before he can come off IR.
The refs tonight are a Jordan Samuels-Thomas (a very cherry 118 GP) and Kyle Rehman (1116 GP). Samuels-Thomas is from West Hartford so perhaps he knows some of the NYR? In any event, he tends to give the home team less PP chances. Rehman is by the book.
Keys to a Ranger victory: The keys have been lost and must be found. Check the driveway near that car that is on fire.
On this date in history: In 1977, Ron Ooo-la-la Duguay scored his first career hat trick along with an assist as the Rangers beat the Red Wings 6-2.
Speculative NYR lineup:
Forwards
1st line ⊳ Cuylle ⋄ Trocheck ⋄ Miller
2nd line ⊳ Perreault ⋄ Zibanejad ⋄ Lafreniere
3rd line ⊳ Sheary ⋄ Laba ⋄ Raddysh
4th line ⊳ Othmann ⋄ Carrick ⋄ Rempe
Defensemen
1st pair ⊳ Gavrikov ⋄ Schneider
2nd pair ⊳ Soucy ⋄ Borgen
3rd pair ⊳ Robertson ⋄ Morrow
Goalies
Starter ⊳ Shesterkin
Backup ⊳ Quick
Healthy scratch: D Vaakanainen F Brodzinski
Injured: Panarin (flu)
In the Cooler: none
Long-term IR: F Edström (LBI) D Fox (UBI)
147 responses to “It’s Go Time!”
FIRST!
If you’re smart you’ll bring your eggnog. Have Olga doll it up first though 😉
Per-O: 2 goals tonight then saves the season. Thats the egg nog talking.
Why couldn’t LaFail have been the sick one tonight?
I read that Sullivan was putting Perrault in a position to succeed. Apparently he has a better view of the third line than anyone else.
Great. This is some dude’s second NHL game. There goes the possibility of a shutout for us.
Yawn
This is exciting
Hows Matchbox20 been doing this year?
Brilliant putting Othman on the 4th line. He definitely going to score from that spot. Either Sheary or Raddysh should on the 4th line. Better yet they should in the press box.
Another great period filled with tons of “looks”, “zone time”, and “chances.”
I don’t think that was a high stick. Looked like a glove. Still a penalty.
Another Shesty Special
We all knew that was coming
Told you about that second NHL game guy.
Why did he lift the puck
Down to early
Twerkin 🤣
Funny. Shesty got asleep…
They put bonuses in player’s contracts when they hit milestones. They should do the same with Shesty, but take away salary.
When was shesty’s last shutout
And we’re in home blue
So.. its now been 103m 42s since the Rangers scored a goal
NHL I think has punted on the home/away colors
It won’t be long before this team collectively throws in the towel on the season and just goes through the motions….in fact it already looks that way.
That’s our 919.24M ruble goalie
This team fukking sucks. That’s all there is to it. Our dumbass goalie can’t make a save either. Until Drury goes, NOTHING is going to change.
Wow….#13 is so insightful. He sounds like he just woke up and then broke his alarm clock and went back to sleep.
Craig – things may change, just probably not for much better if Drury’s running it.
Giannones 150 is lamer than the Rangers.
So do you think LaCoast’s career would be different if the NYR hadn’t been at #1? Suppose we were #2 and LA was #1 – would they have taken him over Byfield? Suppose we traded down, would DET have taken him? And would we have taken Raymond then?
Seems doubtful how often the consensus #1 does not go 1OA, let alone in a year it was hard to scout?
Schenn is a -20 ouch. For a #20 OA Thomas has done well.
Morons in stripes
No one went after Buch there. He’s been gone for too long for anyone to have an excuse not to.
STL PP has been pretty sad too so no surprise there.
EV did he even play a season with Mika? Nobody else on the team been around long enough
My bad, I thought he left longer ago… just seems like it 🤣
Looking forward to this power play. They suck WITH Fox and Panarin and they don’t even have them. 🤦🏻♂️
With that attempt to put the puck on net from the bluelne by Morrow is one more than Fox has this season
Wow … just when I was going to say how sad the PP was
yay
Per-O saving the franchise!
I guess you take that first goal any way you can get it, right?
I turned it off and missed the late bad goal. Ground Hog Day.
The old MSG used to have a sign over the entrance on 8th Avenue that said “Hockey- the world’s fastest game.” That doesn’t apply to this Ranger team.
Othman’s going to have to have a human sacrifice or something to get a goal. Geez
Per-O scores from in front of net – a place where LaFail is not man enough to go to.
ORF….indeed the Rangers play in slow motion.
Start the second unit on this one.
Above the МSG’s main entrance should be а neon sign: « Abandon hope, all ye who enter here»…
That set play that Trocheck just screwed up and the team always does that as well… That’s a Sam Reinhart special. He scores on 9 out of 10 of those. I hate having to watch that in person while the rangers are ridiculously inept in those situations.
4ever, the Knicks also play there. 🤷🏻♂️
Once again getting goaltended by a guy who has had a poor season. Making it easy for him like usual.
Jamesgeau
Sometimes I like at Carson Soucy and say to myself… Thank God he’s ours….
If you are not going to score goals by getting dirty and being near the net, then you damn well better be f’ing fast and the Rangers are decidedly not fast. You might find faster grannies
Did I just see some physicality in this game? Someone must have said something
Buch hasn’t learned anything from Tom Wilson.
Othmann is on the scoresheet!
Gravy awol again, not enough work for him to do here
Miller is an IDIOT
How in Sam Hill did Miller shoot that puck wide. 🤯
Help we’re stepping into the Igor zone..
He can’t even slash right #LaFail
Holy crap. If you get a foot or closer to the game with your stick this season. Automatic penalty
Power play with 2 minutes left in a period. 🫣
Their finishing ability looks about as efficient as ours.
Live, Laf, Trade
Did I miss anything? Can’t get the game for some reason.
Watching the Hawks lose.
Purr oh scores again
NHL refs have had a very rough start to the season. Coaches all over been publicly complaining. The hand pass stuff recently was comical.
Beez said getting dirty
Ev said trocheck just screwed
Beeze said PP
LaCoast’s only two shots were noted as misses.
E3 these boys are just too tight and need to relax. Sticks have hand prints
Shesterkin got lucky as hell on that wraparound
Almost forgot…
70 days since Shesterkin’s last shutout.
Rangers ought to try 4 forwards on the PK
I’m sure we’ll get control of the puck in the offensive zone at some point this period.
Granted this is the lazy period for these losers, so who knows.
Beeze said too tight
Rangers need to be hard on the puck
I said hard on
If I was on an opposing team I’d be in good spirits too, going into the third period with a tie score. The Rangers give up in the third. Watch the blues surpass our shot total.
I dont know what Maloney was talking about a little while ago with Buchy. He’s done fine for St. Louis. 327 GP 108 G 172 A 280pts. That same period Mika played 326 GP 114 G 192 A 306 pts.
Another weak third period. Playing for the point.
Blues look like they just woke up and the Rangers look like they just got off work.
Rangers didn’t play last night, Blues did.
Sherry sucks
Rangers look like they just got off the plane after two weeks in Cabo or something
At least the bottom six are making some type of effort out there. They actually chase after the puck
Every. Single. Third. Period. Is. The. Same.
Sherry on a breakaway would trip over the blue line
Eyegore needs to start channeling his inner Billy Smith or Ron Hextall and start whacking people with his stick
Shots might be 7-1 in favor of the Blues, but shot attempts are 55333 to 3.
No other team would have Sherry on the ice. Sully shouldn’t feel bad about axing the nephew-in-law, he was going to be making somewhere away from the rink any how.
Only two shots behind. What did I say….
Which would you prefer? The Rangers lose in regulation, OT or the shootout?
Regulation seems most merciful to me
Blues: 25 SOG 16 BS 11 MS
E3 I think you’ve enjoyed a few Sherry’s in your time.
What the hell and are Raddysh and Sheary doing still in our lineup. The prospects can’t improve that way. Does Sullivan know what the hell he’s doing. They don’t need ice time the kids do. Think Sully continuously is making poor decisions. He’s not coaching the Penguind its the Rsngers. I’m a fed up Ranger fan.
Ok, just need a good 6 minutes
Robertson continues to pass the eye test, had a couple of great hits in neutral zone punishing the forward shooting it in
This could be a cup preview
173 replays of the Perrault accidental skate deflection goal. So exciting.
Lone its not like he’s playing kids with no real track record. These guys all have long histories so what we are seeing is pretty much par for the course. Like you, I’d rather risk the defensive lapse for a lot more jump and hustle.
SN 😂😂😂
Man our passing is just horrid
Sherry is a waste of skates
Sorry, but sometimes I think Miller is just dumb as a tree stump…
SN I’d pay to see that
EV that skate will be a trivia question 15 years from now when Perreault is breaking all the hockey records 🤣
Play for the pernt!
At least Laba is a rookie so he has an excuse for playing the puck horizontally on the bluelne while trying to enter the zone.
Good thing Purr-o is paired up with Raddysh
They can’t even score with goaltender interference
How did we get here Joe?
In two days I’m going to be rooting for this Blues team against the Panthers. 😂
LaFail in OT (to not score)
A point is a point of course of course ….
but
“Sam, I want to shoot myself rather than watch the OT”
both teams look sh*t out there. But this is the Bettman NHL for you.
EV they’re coming for your fridge to keep the ice from melting
Sherry Darling breaks his stick on a blast that went 12 ft
Put on Panarin
You’re watching two bottom-10 teams you get what you pay for 😁
Zika is effin crazy
Stupid Meeka
Put the kid in
Average Jan high in Sunrise is 75, can easily get to 80. Going to have guys dropping from lack of hydration
Bag with the Hope and pray lob pass
Miller Time!
Rangers win
Miller time! Woooo!
Miller The OT Killer
JTM with the bonus points
the mighty new york rangers!
Yay- we get to continue on being the MediocRangers with that OT win.
Winning ugly
It’s gotten to be a surprise when they can beat a last place team
Escape from Misery … at least for a day or two
He’s got a good shot, JT should play on the PP. what?? He does
The Rangers win and yet I don’t feel excited about it. Its strange feeling that way. I guess it’s because I know they just aren’t a good team.
Beezle, the game isn’t in Sunrise
Shesty solid…defense battled …some nice hits by Schneids …forwards sucked …again
I hate not getting the post-game. Fook you, Dolan.
Rangers want a later round draft pick. That way they have an excuse when the guy sucks.
They got outplayed in the third , but Igor hung in there. Two bad teams can’t score so this is the kind of game you wind up with. WYSIWYG.
EV close enough!
I went to bed after the 2nd, I mean why not? Tell me they need Panarin they’re bad either way, win or lose. Playing for a mediocre 1st rd pick, for a mediocre team, on a mediocre mission. What more could a Ranger fan hope for.
A new post has arrived!
Laughy last 5 games,
1 secondary assist, -4