NEW YORK (AP) — Igor Shesterkin made 26 saves for his 13th career shutout in his 200th career NHL game, Vincent Trocheck and Jimmy Vesey scored first-period goals and the New York Rangers defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-0. Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko also scored for the Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers, who improved to 13-3-2 in their last 18 games. It was the second shutout of the season for Shesterkin, who played his first game for the Rangers in January 2020. He improved to 27-13-2 this season while helping the Rangers improve to 22-8-0 at home. They have won nine of their last 10 at Madison Square Garden. The Blues lost their third straight.
Elsewhere in the NHL:
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Capitals beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 for another win that keeps them very much in the Eastern Conference playoff race. They are 7-2-1 in their past 10 games. Tom Wilson scored for a second consecutive game. Hendrix Lapierre, Michael Sgarbossa and Sonny Milano also had goals, and Charlie Lindgren robbed Connor Bedard among his 29 saves. Tyler Johnson scored the only goal for the last-place Blackhawks. Chicago has lost eight of nine and 16 of their past 18 games.
