Vladislav Gavrikov set up two goals as the New York Rangers defeated the visiting St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Monday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
Vincent Trocheck, Alexis Lafreniere and Adam Edstrom scored for the Rangers, who earned just their second home victory in 10 tries this season (2-7-1).
Adam Fox earned two secondary assists for New York, and Igor Shesterkin made 20 saves.
Dylan Holloway and Brayden Schenn scored for the Blues, who have won just one of their past six games (1-2-3). Joel Hofer stopped 17 shots.
The Rangers took a 2-1 lead 40 seconds into the third period. Gavrikov fired a high shot from the left point, and Lafreniere deflected it down and into the net.
Edstrom made it 3-1, scoring from directly in front of the net off Gavrikov’s pass at 8:56.
New York killed off a late double-minor penalty before the Blues cut their deficit to 3-2 with 1:15 left. With Hofer off the ice for an extra attacker, Schenn deflected Pavel Buchnevich’s shot from the right flank.
The Rangers controlled much of the first period while outshooting the Blues 9-5, but they fell behind 1-0.
Hofer kept the Rangers off the board with saves on a shot from Brett Berard after he stepped into the slot as the trailer and a redirection from Mika Zibanejad at the net front following Will Cuylle’s centering pass.
Shesterkin stopped Schenn’s early breakaway, but Holloway snapped a shot over his glove from atop the left circle with 2:24 left in the opening period. Philip Broberg set up the goal with a pass from the center point.
The Rangers turned up the pressure midway through the second period to tie the game 1-1.
The hosts trapped the Blues on the ice late in their shift and converted with a 2-on-1 break. Fox’s outlet pass found Jonny Brodzinski surging up the left wing, and then Brodzinski set up Trocheck moving in from the right wing.
