Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves in his 200th career appearance and the New York Rangers tied a season-high with three power-play goals in a 4-0 victory over the visiting St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
The Rangers avoided their second three-game losing streak of the season and improved to 13-3-2 in their past 17 games. New York remained four points ahead of the Metropolitan Division of the Carolina Hurricanes and earned its latest win in the team debuts of Alex Wennberg and Jack Roslovic.
Vincent Trocheck appeared in his 700th career game and scored on a power play early in the first period and Jimmy Vesey tallied in the final minute of the period. Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko scored with the man advantage in the third.
Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox collected two assists apiece while Wennberg collected an assist on New York’s fourth goal.
The Blues dropped their third straight and fell to 6-9-1 in their past 16 since a five-game winning streak Jan. 20-28.
St. Louis goalie Jordan Binnington allowed four goals on 39 shots.
Shesterkin earned his second shutout of the season and 13th of his career since debuting in January 2020. He highlighted his performance by making a diving save on Kasperi Kapanen’s breakaway try halfway through the second, then stopped a redirection attempt by Pavel Buchnevich on a breakaway in the opening minute of the third.
The Rangers opened the scoring by getting a fortuitous bounce with 14:09 remaining in the first.
Panarin leaned into a shot from between the circles and Trocheck deflected it. The puck then caromed off St. Louis defenseman Colton Parayko’s stick and past Binnington’s left pad for Trocheck’s 23rd goal.
The Rangers took a 2-0 lead with 23 seconds left in the first when Vesey motored down the left wing and finished off a two-on-one with Rempe. Barclay Goodrow had forced a turnover by Parayko near the blue line in the St. Louis offensive zone as the Blues made a line change.
Kreider re-directed a wide shot by Panarin 6:23 into the third for his 32nd goal and Kakko stuffed in a rebound five minutes later for a 4-0 lead.
