Game Preview: Heave ho, New York Rangers aim to make it three in a row

Lost in all the hoopla surrounding the Artemi Panarin situation is that the New York Rangers have a game tonight versus the Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers come in to the game riding a two game winning streak that started when they beat these same Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout last Thursday. The Flyers, following the loss to the Rangers suffered a beat down by the Boston Bruins at Lake Tahoe and have now lost four of their last five games.

The last game between these two teams was a sloppy affair on both sides of the puck, for both teams. The Rangers withstood an early goal in the opening minute and eventually took a lead on goals from Colin Blackwell, on the power play in the second period, and from Brendan Smith midway through the third. The Flyers tied the game late with the goalie pulled, but the Rangers did not crack as they might have just a few games prior.

The game went to a shootout where both Kaapo Kakko and Artemi Panarin buried their chances and Alexandar Georgiev stopped two of the Flyers three attempts. The Rangers skated out of Philadelphia with two points and a much needed halt to their previous four game losing streak. They took their feel good energy with them to the nation’s capital where they shut down the Washington Capitals in their best performance of the season to date.