New York Rangers looking for more history on the road against the Flyers
There is something special brewing with the New York Rangers right now and it will continue tonight in Philadelphia against the Flyers.
What a time to be a New York Rangers fan right now. The rebuild has developed a lot quicker than most predicted, with this team doing incredible things on the ice night in and night out.
It has been a roller coaster of a week which started with the bombshell news that Igor Shesterkin and Pavel Buchnevich were involved in a car crash, before it was announced that Chris Kreider had committed his future to the franchise followed by the news that Brady Skjei had been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Focus then switched to matters on the ice and the Rangers, unflustered by the emotional blender they had just been in, ripped off a playoff-like win against the New York Islanders before performing more heroics in Montreal against the Canadiens last night.
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There are no words for what this team is doing right now and, whatever happens this year, we can all be confident about the current path the Blueshirts are on.
And the thrill ride continues in the City of Brotherly Love tonight as the Rangers take on a team with one of the best home records in the NHL.
The Flyers, under the guidance of former NYR Head Coach Alain Vigneault, have a 22-5-4 record at Wells Fargo Center, putting them in playoff contention.
They are a big, physical team with a fair amount of skill too and the Rangers will have to watch out for an old friend in Kevin Hayes who has really found his game with the Flyers.
All in all, this should be a mouthwatering showdown between two teams who will be hoping to still be battling come the middle of April.
This is also the first game of a home-and-home double-header this weekend, with the Flyers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, so expect both teams to try and set the tone early tonight.
This Season
Tonight’s match-up is the second meeting of the season series between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers.
The first contest was also at Wells Fargo Center and it was one to forget for the Blueshirts, who were pummelled 5-1 by the Flyers with Jesper Fast scoring the only goal of the game for the Rangers.
About The Rangers
We’ll say it again but this is a special time to be a New York Rangers fan right now. I mean, really special.
After all, it has been a while since we’ve had anything to be genuinely excited about and, to make this situation better, it is just the start.
Because, what we are seeing now coupled with what could be to come in the near future, this roster as it is currently constituted is ready to win and they are ready to win now.
With a core featuring the likes of Artemi Panarin, Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Jacob Trouba and Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers are built to be competitive now and they have a plethora of young studs waiting in the wings.
There is such a feel-good factor around this team right now and they are displaying all the intangibles of a successful contender.
For starters, they boast tremendous heart for such a young group and that has been on display in full this week.
Despite blowing a lead against the New York Islanders, the Rangers came fighting back to win in overtime before scoring four goals in the third period against the Habs in Montreal on Thursday.
They have won nine straight on the road, the longest win streak in the NHL over the span of the last two seasons, while the Rangers would accomplish more history tonight if they beat the Flyers by becoming only the seventh team in history to win 10 straight on the road.
Plus, after struggling for consistency all year, the Blueshirts now appear to have found the magic formula after carving out five straight wins, while they have won nine out of their last 10.
Tonight will be a real litmus test, however, considering that not only is the game the second of a back-to-back, but the Philadelphia Flyers are stellar on home ice with a superb 22-5-4 record.
But, if anyone can escape the Wells Fargo Center with a W then it is the New York Rangers given the heights they are currently scaling.
Head Coach David Quinn will continue to ride the hot hand in goal with Alexandar Georgiev getting the start tonight, while Pavel Buchnevich is a game-time decision as he continues to recover from the car accident he was involved in on Sunday.
About the Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers have been knocking on the door of being a playoff team for a couple of years, but they have lurched from one extreme to the other in terms of consistency or lack of it.
As a result, the Flyers decided to turn to someone in the off-season who knows a thing or two about getting teams to the postseason, hiring former Rangers Head Coach Alain Vigneault.
And, so far so good. Vigneault has got the best out of this team so far and they are currently third in the Metro Division, right in the mix with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals.
Key to their success has been their stellar play on home ice, 22-5-4 at Wells Fargo Center although they have been shaky on the road.
The Flyers are a below-average 14-15-3 away from the comforts of their own building, and that must be frustrating considering how much better off they could be if they figure out how to navigate life on the road.
As you would expect for a team managed by Vigneault, the Flyers are a big, heavy team although they do boast a fair amount of skill.
For instance, skilled winger Travis Konecny leads the team in points with 57 (22 assists, 35 points), while two-way forward Sean Couturier has exploded with 19 goals and 36 assists for 55 points.
But the play of Kevin Hayes will be of most interest to Rangers fans, with the forward having a productive year with 21 goals and 17 assists for 38 points.
Furthermore, the Flyers are 17-0-1 this year when Hayes has scored, which means keeping the former Blueshirt off the scoresheet tonight must be a priority.
Philadelphia, while not major buyers at the Trade Deadline, did add some more grit with forwards Nate Thompson and Derek Grant.
If the Flyers are to be successful this year then they will do so by being aggressive and tough to play against, while they have skilled game-changers who can hurt any team.
Plus, in Carter Hart, the Flyers have one of the best young goalies in the entire NHL and the 21-year-old is 20-12-3 this year with a 2.51 Goals Against Average and a .909 Save Percentage.
Three Keys to the Game
- Don’t let Hayes score – As already mentioned, the Philadelphia Flyers are 17-0-1 this year when Kevin Hayes has lit the lamp. So, logic would dictate that the Rangers need to put the shackles on their former player tonight. Plus, Hayes is flourishing under Alain Vigneault and has produced 21 goals and 17 assists for 38 points in 63 games this year. Hayes has already scored against the Blueshirts a couple of times this year, and he will no doubt be motivated to do so again.
- Strike first – The Philadelphia Flyers have one of the best home records in the NHL, going an impressive 22-5-4 at Wells Fargo Center. They play a real gritty game on home ice and, as a result, the New York Rangers will need to land the first blow of the night early in order to suck the energy out of the crowd. If they can frustrate their hosts early on and jump out to a quick lead, then they will be in a good position to win 10 straight on the road.
- Ride the hot hand – A number of the Rangers’ big hitters are at the peak of their powers right now, and they will need to be on top of their games again tonight. Mika Zibanejad has scored in six straight games while Artemi Panarin has been Artemi Panarin. This could be a perfect game for the style of hockey Chris Kreider plays, and this will also be another good test for the blossoming partnership of Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren. In a nutshell, the Rangers will need their stars to keep producing the goods tonight if they want to return to MSG with a win.
dark. Next. Another good night for the playoff picture
About the Game
Faceoff at Wells Fargo Center is at 7:00 p.m. ET and the game will be televised on the MSG Network along with the NHL Network and Sportsnet. The radiocast will be on ESPN 98.7 FM.
Want to discuss all thing Rangers and this team’s current exploits? Head over to our in-game blog which will be up about an hour before faceoff.
Enjoy the game!