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Jordan Kyrou’s Hat Trick Propels The St. Louis Blues Over Ill-Stricken Rangers

On the back of Jordan Kyrou‘s hat trick, the St. Louis Blues perform the great escape with a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers. New York has been on a prolonged run of facing old foes. Over the weekend, it was the old playoff hero in Martin St. Louis. On Monday, The Garden was blessed with the skillful play of J.T. Miller. Thursday night, the Rangers matched up against three former Blueshirts who are now calling “The Lou” their home. Sammy Blais, Pavel Buchnevich, and Kevin Hayes are now donning the blue and yellow after their respective tenures under the iconic ceiling of Madison Square Garden.

If you are one who thinks that J.T. Miller is “the one that got away”, Buchnevich is also a contender for that title. His run in New York was a memorable one, finding a home on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. He has found a similar role in St. Louis, playing alongside Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas. The Blues’ top line started early…

First Period Takeaway: KYROU-ROU-ROU, You Know It!

The tennis match analogy was on full display as both teams tested the opposite netminders early. Both Igor Shesterkin and Jordan Binnington had to flash the leather just seconds into the opening frame.

New York started the scoring in the first two minutes thanks to Adam Fox, who has finally got back into form since his lower-body injury back in November. The Jericho, NY native pounced on a rebound from an initial shot from Barclay Goodrow. It’s a rare occurrence for the Rangers to earn that first goal. What comes from holding an early lead? If you guessed giving it up immediately, you would be correct.

St Louis’ top line replied in no later than three minutes with Jordan Kyrou’s tenth of the year. Robert Thomas’ vision has gone unnoticed, feeding a pass to Kyrou that was right on his blade.

Discipline continues to be a crutch for this club, even against the NHL’s worst power play. Who else but Kyrou, scoring on a similar play like he did on his first. It seems as if those boos from earlier in the season have turned Kyrou into that scoring threat he is known to be.

Second Period Takeaway: No Discipline Equals No Goals

Despite being down a goal, New York seemed to have their structure figured out. They were feeding the points. They were throwing shots on net. And they were causing traffic in front of Binnington’s crease. The Achilles heel of the second was avoiding the penalty box, which the Rangers did not do.

New York took three penalties in the middle frame, including a holding call on Vincent Trocheck. Three penalties before the midway point of the period is somewhat impressive. Yet, not when the opposition finally cashes in.

Brandon Saad fired one home past Shesterkin to make it a 3-1 lead. The one-handed feed from Brayden Schenn opened many eyes, but how does one allow that pass to happen? A one-handed pass across the crease of goal just seems unthinkable, yet the sluggish defence of New York can impress you every night they are out there.

Shots were not the problem for New York. The Rangers entered the second intermission with a 27-15 lead in the shot department. Would all of those chances translate into goals in the final frame?

Third Period Takeaway: Out Come The Hats

New York kept solid possession all game, but one giveaway can make a crucial difference. A Zachary Jones turnover in the offensive zone set Kyrou free on a breakaway. His snap shot beat Shesterkin for his third of the game and twelfth of the year. It was looking like Jordan Kyrou’s hat trick would be the difference-maker after all.

Similar to St. Louis, it took three power plays for the Rangers to score on the man advantage. Vincent Trocheck cut the St. Louis lead in half courtesy of a geometric pass from Artemi Panarin.

It wouldn’t be enough as the old friend Pavel Buchnevich would seal the deal for St. Louis. Even with all of this puck possession, New York still found a way to drop this contest 5-2. It was simply there for the taking, but Jordan Binnington‘s 41 saves played a great part in St. Louis’ acquisition of two points.

New York is back in action on Saturday as they head to America’s capital to take on Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. This is the first of two consecutive matchups in a home-and-home series with the divisional rival.

Puck drop is scheduled on Saturday for 1 p.m. EST from Capital One Arena.

Main Photo Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

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