NHL 28-29/01/22: St Louis Blues, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vegas Golden Knights in action

You can never take anything for granted in the NHL! Just look at St Louis Blues, for example, who were on the wrong side of a 7-1 hammering at the hands of the Calgary Flames. In this preview, we will look ahead to three games. These include New York Rangers v Minnesota Wild, and Tampa Bay Lightning v Vegas Golden Knights.

New York Rangers still going strong after sneaking past Los Angeles Kings

The Rangers have been very impressive of late. They were irresistible against the San Jose Sharks and the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, they showed their mettle by grinding out wins against the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Kings earlier this week. Against the Kings, it was a big collective effort from the Rangers. Adam Fox was the hero this time.

After coming from behind, Fox scored the winning conversion in the shoot-out, but Igor Shesterkin also had a good showing in goal for the Rangers. In beating the Kings, it was Shesterkin’s 20th win in between the sticks for the franchise. The Rangers are currently top of the Metropolitan Division, and they have a 28-11-4 record to boot.

Minnesota Wild heading in right direction after thumping win over Montreal Canadiens

The Central Division is hotting up quite nicely. Although it may seem like the Colorado Avalanche are running away with things, this isn’t necessarily true. And as far as the Wild are concerned, they are on the right path after they surged to a thumping 8-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens earlier this week. As things stand, the Wild are fourth in the standings.

St Louis Blues reeling from Calgary Flames demolition

When you lose 7-1 in ice hockey, there are generally very few positives you can take from the defeat. The Blues were shellshocked, and it was a night to forget for goaltender Jordan Binnington. After making his first start since January 15, Binnington spent most of the evening picking the ball out of the net, and he faced a whopping 35 shots.

St Louis Blues need to press the reset button

The Blues have been on fabulous form over the past few weeks, and perhaps against the Flames, it was just a bad night at the office. Currently, the Blues are second in the Central Division, and captain Ryan O’Reilly is adamant this performance was a one-off. He said: “We have to get back to Blues hockey, and competing much harder.”

Winnipeg Jets need an outlet to express their frustration

The Jets have had a torrid run of late, and the games aren’t going to get any easier. To be more precise, the Jets have suffered on the road. They were very much second best against the Nashville Predators, and they were pipped in both games by the Boston Bruins and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Pierre-Luc Dubois couldn’t conceal his frustration after his side’s defeat to the Bruins. He said: “It’s a disappointing loss, it’s three in a row on this trip. The schedule is going to get harder and harder.” The latest defeat should give the Jets the motivation to make amends.

As Dubois rightly pointed out, the fixture schedule is laden with danger for the Jets. Before they take on the Blues, they will face the high-flying Florida Panthers, and if they show the same sort of naivety as they have done recently, they will be picked apart.

Tampa Bay Lightning keeping pace with Florida Panthers

The Lightning have been in fine fettle of late, and as things stand, they are second in the Atlantic Division and locked on 61 points with the Panthers. The Panthers may have a game in hand, but the Lightning showed why they are reigning Stanley Cup champions with a 7-1 thrashing of the Sharks.

However, they may not have things all their own way on Saturday evening, when they run into the Vegas Golden Knights. The Knights edged past the Washington Capitals 1-0 earlier this week, and this could be a more edgy affair. If we had to pick a winner, then we would probably lean towards the Lightning, but only just!

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