Marty Biron hopes to be all smiles in camp battle with Johan Hedberg.
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Nothing has gone right the last two games. Having been outscored 15-2 in San Jose and Anaheim, the Rangers pay a visit to St. Louis tonight. The latest challenge during a grueling nine-game road trip that has them off to a 1-3-0 start. The Blues have won their first three outscoring opponents 14-4. They’re looking to make franchise history by starting 4-0 for the first time.

With Henrik Lundqvist pelted for six by the Sharks, Marty Biron gets the call tonight. He made an appearance in relief allowing five goals. That included rookie Tomas Hertl’s exclamation point that still has the hockey world a buzz. If Alain Vigneault is looking for a spark, he’s banking on the team to play more inspired in front of the popular backup. Either they’ll lift their play and rally around him or continue to look like they’ve never played organized hockey. This from a group mostly intact following the dismissal of task master John Tortorella.

“We’re being tested as a group, being challenged, and it’s up to me as head coach to get this team to play well and that’s what I’m going to do,” Vigneault said of a struggling roster playing their fifth game in nine days on the road.

Maybe the coach can do a better job managing what he’s got. They’ll again be minus Rick Nash, who is back in New York with a concussion. For a second straight game, he’s changed the lines. Derick Brassard centers the top line with Brad Richards and Ryan Callahan. In the most eye opening move, Brian Boyle has replaced Derek Stepan as the number two center where he’ll play with Benoit Pouliot and rookie Jesper Fast. Stepan moves down to the third unit with Taylor Pyatt and Mats Zuccarello. The fourth line of Dominic Moore, Derek Dorsett and Arron Asham remains intact.

The numbers are ugly. Pouliot and Zuccarello don’t have a point. In three games since returning, Callahan is also without a point and minus-five. Stepan is minus-seven and was disappointed with his performance labeling the recent loss “the worst of his career.”

“There’s just no pride going on right now in our defensive zone,” Callahan scolded. “I think turnovers in the neutral zone cost us pretty big, especially against a team that can create so much offense in transition. Once again, we weren’t good enough.”

The defense has been so shoddy that Vigneault redid the pairings. Marc Staal and Dan Girardi will play together a second consecutive game while Ryan McDonagh teams with Anton Stralman, who Vigneault singled out as their best defenseman. Mike Del Zotto and John Moore comprise the third pair. In particular, the top four were brutal the last two games. NHL Network broke it down further the other night.

WHERE’S THE D?

Plus/Minus        Giveaways

Del Zotto        -6                            2

Girardi            -5                            1

McDonagh     -4                            1

Staal                -5                            5

“Our puck management is not very good right now,” Girardi said. “We’re just giving pucks away. We’re not getting all the way down under their hash marks and making them go down and get it and try to get it down our end again. We’re making life easy on other teams. They’re playing it whatever they want. They’re just coming out of the zone freely, cycling on us, and we’ve got to find a way to get the puck out of our zone as fast as we can and create some offensive zone pressure, take the onus off the defense a little bit.”

The root of the problem is they’re having trouble adjusting to Vigneault’s system. There have been too many instances where players are caught up ice leading to breakouts. Even worse, the zone coverage has been abominable. When your best players are making fundamental mistakes going to the same player leaving someone open in front, it doesn’t matter who’s in net. Lundqvist has allowed 15 goals so far posting a hideous 4.30 GAA and .879 save percentage. Biron permitted five goals on 21 shots and enters with a laughable 9.78 GAA and .762 save percentage. It can’t get any worse or can it?

Of the current roster, only two players aren’t minus. Boyle and Nash are both even. Unfortunately, we don’t know when the latter will return. That’s our top finisher. When the Rangers were without him for four games last year, they went 0-3-1 and were outscored 12-6. They’re still without Carl Hagelin, who remains on long term injured reserve and won’t be available until Oct. 29 when they visit the Islanders.