Game #20: St. Louis Blues vs New York Rangers Open Thread

Quite the Monday it's been in Rangerstown.

The Blueshirts are back at Madison Square Garden on the heels of their four game, 2-2-0 western road trip that ended with one of the sloppiest losses the team has put forth in recent memory. That loss has prompted rumors of a front office possibly looking for a major personnel shakeup.

Jacob Trouba and Chris Kreider, who will not skate tonight as he deals with an injury, were name dropped by Elliotte Friedman as potential trade candidates. Matt Rempe and Brett Berard have both been recalled from AHL Hartford and will draw into the lineup tonight. All of that comes heading into a game against a St. Louis Blues team dealing with adversity of its own.

The Blues fired head coach Drew Bannister and hired the recently fired by the Boston Bruins Jim Montgomery to serve as the new head coach. Tonight will be the first game the Blues play under Montgomery, so both teams are battling unfamiliar circumstances.

Player to Watch: Brett Berard

A fifth round selection in the 2020 Entry Draft, Berard has been called up from Hartford to make his NHL debut tonight. The 2024-25 campaign is Berard's second full season as a pro, and he's been one of Hartford's top offensive players with a 7-6-13 stat line through 16 games with the Wolf Pack thus far. Berard will be thrown directly into the fire, as the rookie will begin on the second line alongside Mika Zibanejad and Will Cuylle. Keep an eye on Berard as he pulls the diagonal R A N G E R S over his head for the first time in a meaningful contest.

Enjoy the game!