New York at St. Louis

A pair of dynamite defenses clash in St. Louis. The New York Rangers are second in the Metropolitan Division and #12 in goals allowed. New York captain Ryan McDonagh is still out, and they mustered only 19 shots the last game, a loss at New Jersey. Ace goalie Henrik Lundqvist is coming off a 31-save effort against New Jersey and owns a 1.74 GAA in winning six of his last eight starts. St. Louis is all about slowing the pace down behind their trio of outstanding defensemen. They are #6 in goals allowed, #2 in penalty killing, and are on a 9-3 run UNDER the total. They've battled injuries all year, however. Alexander Steen, second on the team with 17 goals and 47 points, sustained an upper-body injury over the weekend and is out. Forward Ryan Reaves is also out after being suspended for three games for an illegal hit. St. Louis is 31-15-5 UNDER the total when their opponent scores two goals or less in their previous game, and this shapes up as a slow-paced, defensive duel. Play this one UNDER the total.