When the New York Rangers take the ice tonight at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh for a Game 5 matchup with the Penguins that could prove to be their final game this season, they may be without one of their veterans. Martin St. Louis' status is in question as the Blueshirts forward's mother, France, has unexpectedly passed away at 63.
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According to ESPN, details remain sketchy, but Francis St. Louis resided in Montreal and was just 63 when she died while a cause of death has yet to be released.
The Rangers have lost three straight games after taking Game 1 of their best-of-seven Round 2 series from the Penguins and now trail 3-1 and face a win-or-go-home situation Friday night in Pittsburgh.
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St. Louis is point-less through the Round 2 series, but ranks tied for second on the team this postseason after notching six points in round one off of two goals and four assists.
The team didn't reveal the status of St. Louis for Game 5, and an update should be known by 5 p.m. ET when Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault addresses the media. The heavily-taxed Rangers have played a very grueling schedule, so there was no morning skate today in Pittsburgh.
St. Louis was acquired after the Rangers sent captain Ryan Callahan and two draft picks to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for their captain on March 5 prior to the NHL trade deadline.
St. Louis struggled mightily as a Ranger as after he picked up 61 points off of 29 goals and 32 assists in 62 games with Tampa Bay, he notched just one tally and added seven helpers for eight points in 19 games with New York in the regular season.
The veteran forward was solid for the Rangers Round 1 best-of-seven series against the Philadelphia Flyers, which the Blueshirts won in seven games, but he's been unable to get on the board in the series with Pittsburgh and hasn't been able to lift a power play that has gone 0-for-its-last-36 dating back to a Round 1 Game 2 man advantage goal against the Flyers on Easter Sunday April 20.
It remains to be seen if St. Louis will suit up for the Rangers tonight in the wake of his mother's passing, but New York may need all hands on deck to stave off elimination tonight in Pittsburgh.
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