New York Rangers: Looking for revenge against the Flyers

It’s back to the friendly confines of Madison Square Garden for the New York Rangers and they hope to turn the tables on the Philadelphia Flyers and get even for Friday’s loss.

It will be home, sweet home for the New York Rangers who have played only two games at Madison Square Garden over the last 20 days.  They take on the Philadelphia Flyers in yet another crucial game as they battle for a playoff spot. They will be looking for revenge after the 5-2 spanking the road weary Blueshirts took from the well rested Flyers.

Of course, the main storyline will be how they respond to the loss of Chris Kreider, out with a fractured foot. The second will be who David Quinn will choose to start in goal.  Alexandar Georgiev has been the starter ever since Igor Shesterkin was hurt and didn’t play badly in Philadelphia.  Henrik Lundqvist hasn’t started since February 3, a loss to Dallas. If there is anytime for Lundqvist to get some work it would be today, but the odds are we will see Georgiev.

With a noon start time, there won’t be many questions answered about the lineup or starting goalie before the teams take to the ice for the pre-game warmups.  So far, the Blueshirts haven’t made any moves to bolster the roster without Kreider so look for Greg McKegg to return to the lineup.  The question is who will replace Kreider on the Zibanejad line.

While the final score Friday was lopsided, it’s important to remember that it was a 1-1 game with seven minutes left in the second period.   When the Flyers got their go ahead goal they stepped on the gas and the Rangers looked like the more tired team.  You can be sure that they will be looking to get even with Philadelphia after losing their first two games this season to them by a combined score of 10-3.

About the Flyers

It looks like the Flyers have finally found the goalie they were looking for in Carter Hart. He was outstanding in Friday night’s win and his saves early in the game kept them in the game.  Considering that they used an NHL record eight different goaltenders last season, this has been a remarkable turnaround.

Hart has been in net for both Philly wins this season, winning both and allowing only three goals on 63 shots for a save percentage of .952.

Philadelphia has won five in a row and is looking for their first six game winning streak this season.  They haven’t won six in a row since 2005. They will have further incentive since the Penguins lost their sixth straight last night and the Flyers could move three point ahead of them in the standings.

In winning those five in a row, the Flyers have scored four goals or more in each game, the first time they have done that since 2010.

As formidable as the Flyers are at home with only five regulation losses in 32 games (23-5-4), they are mediocre on the road with a sub .500 record of 14-15-3.  That ranks 12th out of the 16 teams in the Eastern Conference.

Jakub Vorachek had four assists in Friday’s game and left winger Scott Laughton has had two assists in each of his last three games.

The Flyers are outstanding in the faceoff circle with a 54.6% winning percentage.  The only other team in the Metropolitan Division above 50% are the Carolina Hurricanes (50.7%).   It must be reassuring for Alain Vigneault that he can send Claude Giroux out for big draws.

Giroux has a 59.5% winning percentage in taking 1,086 draws.   He’s the best in the NHL among centers who have taken over 1,000 faceoffs this season.

Meanwhile, Kevin Hayes has been taking pleasure in scoring against his former team. He has three goals in the two games this season.  Hayes is headed for a career season in goals.  He is on pace to score 29 goals and that would be three more than his best year as a Ranger.  His adjusted point total is 51 a number he has exceeded twice in his career.

About the Rangers

As bad as the Flyers are on the road, the Rangers are so-so when it comes to playing at home.  Their record at the Garden this season is 17-13-2, the 12th best home record in the East.

Furthermore, they are only 6-9-1 in the first game back at home after a road trip.  That’s not a good record and they need to be aware of that going into this game.

One good statistic is that after a loss, the Rangers have gone 17-9-1, an indication that they are solid at rebounding from defeat.  It’s been over a month since they lost two games in a row.

Artemi Panarin will be looking to score in his 13th straight game.  That would be the longest point scoring streak of his career.  He established that mark earlier this season.  The team record is 17, set by Brian Leetch in 1991-92.  There have been 16 streaks by Rangers longer than Panarin’s 12.

With the Rangers making no roster moves following Kreider’s injury, the question is who will move up to play left wing with Zibanejad and Buchnevich.  In the past, it has been Brendan Lemieux though other options are Phil Di Giuseppe and Julien Gauthier on the off wing (where he has played before).

On the power play, Buchnevich replace Kreider on the first unit in the Philadelphia game and the Blueshirts went 0-2 though Carter Hart was lights out stopping them on one of the man advantages.

Tony DeAngelo needs to get at least a point this game.  He is scoreless in six games against the Flyers, was roundly booed by the Philadelphia fans and looks like he is trying too hard, reflected his career plus/minus of minus seven against Philly. Scoring against the team he grew up rooting for is probably at the top of his bucket list and he needs to get on the scoreboard today.

Finally, it’s been a long time coming, but if the Rangers can knock off the Flyers and if the Canucks can beat the Blue Jackets in Columbus, the Blueshirts would be in the last wild card spot.   In that scenario, they would be tied in points with Columbus and one point ahead of Carolina.  They’d also be two points behind the Islanders and four points behind the Penguins.

To say that there is a lot at stake in this game is an understatement.