The St. Louis Blues pulled off a great victory against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday, 1-0. Now, less than 24 hours later, the New York Rangers pull into town for this four-game home-stand finale.
Here are three players that could set the Blues apart against the Blueshirts.
Jordan Binnington
After dropping three of his last five starts, with two of them having him benched at some point in the game, Jordan Binnington needs to have a good start against the Rangers. He will likely be going against Igor Shesterkin, and it is imperative that he hold his own, not only for the Blues but also for his standing as the starter of this team.
Backup Joel Hofer has been on a roll lately, at least a little more than Binnington has been. He just notched his third shutout of the season, and his once indescribably high Goals Against Average has now dipped to a 2.96. His case for being the starter over Binnington is a valid one, unless the franchise leader in wins can silence the Rangers.
Jonatan Berggren
Both Jonatan Berggren and Otto Stenberg made their Blues debuts against the Jets, and both went very well. Stenberg also had his NHL debut in front of his family, who flew in from Sweden.
Berggren will be the main focus here, however, as he had an excellent first impression in the last game. He had three shots on goal in 12:45 of ice-time, and the eye-test showed that he is very creative with the puck. The Blues need offense right now, and he can certainly provide it.
Justin Faulk
Speaking of offense, there is a player on the blueline who has resurrected his career with some goal-scoring. Justin Faulk is putting on a clinic right now, and this team needs him to keep this up. Before the season, you could have argued that Colton Parayko would be threatening the forward group with a high goal tally, but it is Faulk who is tied for the team lead with eight goals.
All eyes will be on No. 72 in blue.