Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 24 December, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

New York Rangers at St. Louis Blues: game preview

Puck drop27 Dec · 5:00 PM ET
VenueEnterprise Center
All-time meetings162 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Nine points apart last season

NY Rangers finished last season 30th in the league on 77 points. St. Louis finished 22nd on 86.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 163

Across 162 completed games, NY Rangers lead the head-to-head 100-56-6.

All-time record100-56-6NY Rangers's record in the series
Meetings played162This is number 163
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2NY Rangers
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
18 Dec 2025NYR 2 – STL 1 OT——NYR
24 Nov 2025STL 2 – NYR 3——NYR
15 Dec 2024NYR 2 – STL 3——STL
25 Nov 2024STL 5 – NYR 2——STL
9 Mar 2024STL 0 – NYR 4——NYR
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNY RangersSt. Louis
24 Nov 202511-11-2 · 24 pts26th7-10-6 · 20 pts29th
18 Dec 202517-15-4 · 38 pts18th13-15-8 · 34 pts26th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 24 Nov 2025, NY Rangers were 26th in the league and St. Louis 29th. By 18 Dec 2025 it was 18th and 26th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

St. Louis out-attempted NY Rangers 107 to 107

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New York Rangers

107 att · 52 on goal · 5 G · 9.6%
Crease11 att · 0 G
Slot32 att · 4 G
Wing42 att · 1 G
Point15 att · 0 G
Neutral zone7 att · 0 G

St. Louis Blues

107 att · 48 on goal · 3 G · 6.3%
Crease13 att · 1 G
Slot39 att · 0 G
Wing35 att · 2 G
Point17 att · 0 G
Neutral zone3 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

NY Rangers and St. Louis are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

NY RangersSt. Louis
3.44xG for per game2.69
2.77xG against per game3.33
55.4%xG share44.7%
−1.2FinishingGoals minus expected goals−1.1
+5.8GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−0.0

This season: 5 games for NY Rangers, 3 for St. Louis. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

NY Rangers

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2721.4%
Power play · 2025-2624.7% · 5th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2787.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.9% · 15th
Faceoffs · 2026-2752.2% · 151/289
Drawn · 2026-2714 (2.80/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2716 (3.20/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

St. Louis

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2712.5%
Power play · 2025-2617.6% · 26th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2790.0%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.7% · 25th
Faceoffs · 2026-2744.6% · 83/186
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2710 (3.33/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
93Mika Zibanejad51451.00
94Gabe Perreault52240.80
83Mason McTavish32020.67
15Dalibor Dvorsky32020.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
23Adam Fox50551.00
5Sean Durzi51120.40
55Colton Parayko30110.33
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 22 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 22 Dec: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

NY Rangers crease

NYR · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Dec

Igor Shesterkin.9264 GP · 3-1-0 · GSAx +4.6
Dylan Garand1.0001 GP · 1-0-0 · GSAx +1.4

No appearances against St. Louis in the last meetings.

St. Louis crease

STL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 24 Dec

Joel Hofer.9552 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +2.8
Jordan Binnington.8331 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against NY Rangers in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.8 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

18 Dec 20253 · NYR 2–1 STL
24 Nov 20255 · STL 2–3 NYR
15 Dec 20245 · NYR 2–3 STL
25 Nov 20247 · STL 5–2 NYR
9 Mar 20244 · STL 0–4 NYR

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
NY Rangers3.201.602.903.05
St. Louis2.333.332.823.15

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest5.8Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings4.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

8 on the injury lists

NY Rangers · injuries

Adam SykoraLower BodyIRReturn25 Jan
Aidan ThompsonUndisclosedIRReturn11 Oct
Joe VelenoLower BodyIRReturn13 Oct
Joonas KorpisaloLower BodyIRReturn9 Oct

St. Louis · injuries

Alexey ToropchenkoUpper BodyIRReturn14 Nov
Felix TrudeauUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Logan MaillouxHandIRReturn25 Nov
Tyler TuckerKneeIRReturn12 Nov
6 Oct · NYR

Recalled C Gabriel Beaudoin from Hartford (AHL). Placed C Joe Veleno on injured reserve.

5 Oct · NYR

Placed D Matthew Robertson on waivers.

1 Oct · NYR

Placed G Joonas Korpisalo on injured reserve. Recalled G Dylan Garand from Hartford (AHL).

5 Oct · STL

Placed LW Alexey Toropchenko on injured reserve.

27 Sep · STL

Placed G Georgii Romanov and D Calle Rosen on waivers. Claimed RD Justin Barron off waivers.

19 Sep · STL

Placed D Marc Andre Gaudet was placed on waivers.

Injury report
#5Alberts SmitsRound 1 · MunchenD
#64Benjamin MacBeathRound 2 · CalgaryD
#67Danai ShaiikovRound 3 · GatineauG
#77Charlie MorrisonRound 3 · QuebecD
Full draft
#11Tynan LawrenceRound 1 · Boston UniversityC
#16Maddox DagenaisRound 1 · QuebecC
#75Luke SchairerRound 3 · Usa U-18D
#107Landon NyczRound 4 · UmassD
Full draft

Updated after every final