The Blues came up just short in a 3–2 loss to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Monday. After jumping out to an early 1–0 lead, St. Louis struggled to maintain control as New York controlled most of the game. A late Blues goal made it close, but time ran out before they could complete the comeback.

Strong Offensive Zone Presence Early

Dylan Holloway opened the scoring with a snapshot from the top of the circle, beating Igor Shesterkin glove side. Broberg, Parayko, and Holloway cycled the puck around the top of the offensive zone, keeping the Rangers’ defense off balance.

After this goal, the Blues’ offensive zone presence faded, and few scoring chances followed.

Gave Up a Stretch Pass Through Center Ice

The Rangers tied the game just 40 seconds into the second period after Adam Fox sent a stretch pass through center ice at the end of the Blues’ shift.

The pass split Snuggerud, Thomas, Mailloux, and Fowler, setting up a 2-on-1. Brodzinski fed Trocheck on the back side, and he buried it to make it 1–1.

Mailloux was on the ice for 2:19, and Fowler was on the ice for 2:20. The entire team was beaten by one pass and were not able to get back to prevent it. Hofer tried to slide across the crease to save it, but couldn’t get there in time.

No Net Front Defense

The next two Rangers goals came from giving up too much space in front of the net, leaving room for tips and passes.

Lafreniere made it 2-1 in the scond after tipping a shot from Gavrikov. Lafreniere positioned himself perfectly in front of the crease, screening the goalie and deflecting the puck with his stick. Broberg was right next to him, but there was little to no effort to move him or disrupt his positioning.

With no lane cleared for Hofer and the deflection added in, there was no chance of stopping the shot.

Halfway through the third, the Rangers struck again. A shot from the point was deflected into the corner, drawing both Walker and Fowler to the puck and leaving Adam Edstrom wide open in front of the net. Gavrikov made a behind-the-back pass to Edstrom, giving him plenty of space to get off a shot that caught Hofer off guard.

Once again, there was little Hofer could do with a Rangers player alone in front of the net and no defensive help.

Buchnevich and Schenn Made it Close

Pavel Buchnevich and Brayden Schenn both picked up points again after ending their dry spells against the Islanders.

Buchnevich fired a shot from a weird angle along the boards near the goal line, right where Schenn was positioned in front of the net. The puck deflected off Schenn, putting the Blues within one with 1:15 remaining.

Failed 4-Minute Power Play

With around six minutes left in the third, the Rangers were called for a four-minute double minor for high-sticking, giving the Blues a big chance to close the gap while trailing 3–1.

On the power play, the Blues managed just two official shots on goal, with three blocked and three missing the net. Even Dvorsky couldn’t get off one of his signature one-timers. Generating so little over four minutes is a clear problem.

The Rangers constantly cleared the puck down the ice, keeping the Blues from sustaining pressure. The puck movement wasn’t bad, but there just wasn’t any room to work with in front of the net, and the Blues struggled to create a real scoring chance.

Logan Mailloux Made Progress

Logan Mailloux returned from Springfield for his first game back, logging 13:01 of ice time and finishing with 11 shot attempts, three on goal, and a minus-2 rating, per Natural Stat Trick.

Jim Montgomery’s usage of Mailloux was unusual. He played steadily in the first period, but in the second, he had a 30-second shift and then didn’t see the ice for eight minutes. His next shift lasted two minutes, during which the Rangers scored.

Despite the inconsistent usage, Mailloux actually looked better in stretches when he was on the ice. He moved the puck well and showed good awareness on the power play, helping generate some offensive chances. The minus-2 rating doesn’t tell the full story, as the second goal against had little to do with him. Overall, there were signs of improvement, even if the inconsistent shifts made it tough to build consistent momentum.

Overall

The team once again didn’t play bad, but the issues are much the same. The Blues are now 1-1-2 on their road trip and have one more game to finish it off, looking to carry the positives from this effort into a strong finish.

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