Rangers' St. Louis finds motivation to keep pushing

NEW YORK -- There are two things that keep New York Rangers right wing Martin St. Louis motivated at a time when the odds appear slim for his hockey team.

First and foremost, it's the lessons and inspirational anecdotes he learned from his mother, France St. Louis. There's not a day that goes by that St. Louis isn't thinking or reflecting on the life she led and the love she provided. France died of a heart attack at the age of 63 on May 8. The support St. Louis has gotten from his teammates has bonded the group during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The one other motivating factor is this:

"Winning the Stanley Cup and the fact we're still alive … that's what motivates me," St. Louis said.

The road back is a long one for the Rangers, who trail the Los Angeles Kings in the best-of-7 Stanley Cup Final 3-0. The Kings are looking to win the Cup in Game 4 on Wednesday at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, CBC, RDS).

"Of course you don't want to lose in four games," St. Louis said. "But I'm not thinking about that. I'm thinking about winning a game. I'm trying to look at the opportunity we have in front of us."

St. Louis, who has one goal and a minus-4 rating in the series, has struggled along with most of the other Rangers forwards. However, he sensed an upbeat group after the morning skate Wednesday.

"It's game day, and obviously it was a tough day for everybody [Tuesday]," he said. "But we have a chance to do something special. We're going to take it one game at a time and it's all about momentum and we're looking to grab it [Wednesday].

"Everybody here wants to get it done. Everyone is trying. We've come far as a team. I know we're in a hole now, but we're not looking at it like one or two guys can make a difference. It's everybody, and we're looking for everyone to get hot and hopefully we get that [Wednesday] and gain the momentum."

St. Louis was reminded that the team did string together five straight victories in the playoffs, taking Games 5, 6 and 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Second Round and then winning the opening two games of the Eastern Conference Final against the Montreal Canadiens.

"We've put a streak together before and obviously we're going to have to do the same, but our focus is on [Wednesday]," he said. "It's always great to get the first goal, but if we don't you have to battle and find a way. We're going to try and bring a 60-minute game."

Follow Mike Morreale on Twitter at: @mikemorrealeNHL