Five things to watch when Blackhawks face Rangers

It may very well be a preview of the Stanley Cup Final when the New York Rangers host the Chicago Blackhawks at Madison Square Garden. This week's Wednesday Night Rivalry game (8 p.m. ET; NBCSN, TVA, SN1) features two of the top teams in the NHL, each of which seems primed to play deep into the spring.

With the Rangers atop the League standings and the Blackhawks battling for position in the Central Division, there's plenty at stake for each team.

Here are five things to watch between the Rangers and Blackhawks:

1. Who replaces St. Louis?

The Rangers recently lost defenseman Kevin Klein for 3-4 weeks because of an upper-body injury, and now they'll be without forward Martin St. Louis, who sustained a lower-body injury late in a 2-1 win against the Florida Panthers on Sunday.

St. Louis, who has 47 points (20 goals, 27 assists) in 68 games, is expected to miss 10-14 days.

Rangers left wing Tanner Glass missed the game Sunday because of upper-body soreness, but is expected to play against the Blackhawks. That would give New York 12 healthy forwards.

2. Blackhawks' power play clicking again

Prior to its back-to-back road wins, Chicago struggled with the man-advantage, going 1-for-16 in its previous six games. But the Blackhawks scored four power-play goals in 11 opportunities in wins against the Arizona Coyotes and San Jose Sharks. Defenseman Duncan Keith and forward Patrick Sharp scored on the power play against the Sharks on Saturday.

"It's nice to have some relief across the board in those areas definitely," Sharp, who ended a 19-game goal drought, told the Blackhawks website. "Power play, penalty kill … those things are going to be up and down all season long. You try to make them as consistent as possible, but there's certainly peaks and valleys. We can gain some confidence knowing that we scored a couple of goals on the power play in both games and we know how valuable both specials teams are going to be going down the stretch."

3. All eyes on Talbot

Rangers fans probably would have settled for .500 hockey when they learned No. 1 goalie Henrik Lundqvist would miss a substantial amount of time because of a vascular injury. But New York hasn't missed a beat thanks to the play of Cam Talbot.

Talbot was named the NHL's Second Star of the week on Monday after going 3-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .969 save percentage, helping the Rangers extend their win streak to five games. Talbot made 38 saves in a 2-1 victory against the Florida Panthers on Sunday.

"It didn't surprise anybody in here, to be honest," Rangers defenseman Marc Staal said. "Obviously you don't want to see what happened to [Lundqvist] happen, but we're excited for him to get an opportunity to show what he's got on a consistent basis. He's been very good for us as a backup. It's his time to shine."

Lundqvist was cleared to practice on Tuesday, which means the number of starts Talbot receives down the stretch will likely decrease dramatically. But there's no denying how much he's meant to the Rangers during the past six weeks.

4. Who's in goal for Blackhawks?

Scott Darling

Goalie - CHI

RECORD: 6-3-0
GAA: 2.18 | SVP: .930

If Crawford does not play, the Blackhawks would start Scott Darling, who has a 2.18 GAA and a .930 save percentage in nine games with Chicago this season.

"Big games, we'll see," Quenneville said.

Quenneville added it would be "under discussion" regarding starting Crawford again Wednesday.

5. Rangers shuffle lines

New York's top line will have a different look against the Blackhawks. Seeking more production from some of his top forwards (especially while St. Louis is out), Rangers coach Alain Vigneault reunited center Derek Stepan and wings Chris Kreider and Rick Nash. Stepan does not have a point in the past 10 games; Kreider has gone six games without a goal and Nash, who has 39 goals, has one goal in his past six.

Center Derick Brassard is expected to play with Kevin Hayes on the left and Mats Zuccarello on the right.

"I play with Rick on the penalty kill, and when I am out there with him, my job is to try to create space for him, for situations in which he can get a 1-on-1 situation or maybe challenge somebody and use his big body to get the puck to the net," Stepan said, according to the Daily News. "He shoots the puck too. If you look at his stats, I think he has 200 and some odd shots (260). He's a shooter.

"So it's important you understand that when he does have the puck to support him … and communicate with him. Because if he gives you the puck and you are able to give it back to him, he's going to be able to create space."

---