Rangers' Goalie Absences Meet Blues' Hot Offense: Is the Price Right?

The Rangers host St. Louis at Madison Square Garden on a four-game losing streak, and the central question is how New York's goaltending holds up with Igor Shesterkin and Joonas Korpisalo both on injured reserve. Both teams sit near .500: St. Louis is 7-6-1 after 14 games and New York is 7-7-1 after 15, so samples are small. The moneyline reflects it, with the Rangers at -120 and the Blues at +101.

Shesterkin's report describes a season-ending right knee injury requiring surgery, and Korpisalo is listed as out at least four more weeks. Season-long numbers still hold up: the Rangers allow 3.07 goals per game, rank 9, with a team save percentage of 89.7%, rank 9. Over the last 10 games, though, they have allowed 3.8 goals per game. St. Louis is close on the season line, allowing 3 goals per game, rank 8, with the same 89.7% save percentage, rank 8.

Recent offense favors the Blues, who score 3.5 goals per game over their last 10 against 2.9 for the Rangers. St. Louis also posts 26.4 shots on goal per game to New York's 24.7, though neither team is strong in shot share, at 48.7% (rank 22) for the Blues and 48.9% (rank 19) for the Rangers. The sharpest clash is special teams: the Rangers' penalty kill is 89.1%, rank 3, against a Blues power play at 23.7%, rank 10. New York also wins more faceoffs, 54.1% to 49.6%.

Roster news elsewhere is limited to defense. Colton Parayko is out for St. Louis with an upper-body issue, and Sean Durzi is out for New York with an undisclosed one, so neither side gains a clear edge. The last two meetings, both Rangers wins by one goal, 2-1 and 3-2, are thin context on their own.

The price has not moved. The moneyline opened at Rangers -124 and Blues +104, which the sheet calls no move of note. New York draws 66% of moneyline bets and 63% of money, while on the puck line the Blues hold 59% of bets but only 51% of money, roughly even. The total is 5.5, unchanged from the open, with Over at -134 and taking 83% of bets and 79% of money; that heavy support did not shift the number. The Blues have gone over the total in six straight road games, and the Rangers have lost four straight and failed to cover the puck line in four straight. Those are descriptions of what has happened, not predictions.

Overall, the home price and moneyline support favor New York, while the Blues' recent scoring and the Rangers' last-10 defense point the other way. Who starts in goal for the Rangers is not known, and that uncertainty runs through every goals-based number above.