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

By Jason Katinas

Feb 18, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (79) makes a save against New York Rangers right wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) on a penalty shot during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2021; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Carter Hart (79) makes a save against New York Rangers right wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) on a penalty shot during the second period at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Rangers celebrate their win after the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The New York Rangers celebrate their win after the third period against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Madison Square Garden (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

Three keys to winning

  1. Score first – The Rangers are generally not a good team when they are chasing the game. Without their top offensive threat and playing a Philadelphia team that has been good at closing out games, scoring first would go a long way towards gaining two points.
  2. Tie it up at the dot – The Rangers won the faceoff battle the last time these teams met, winning 34 of 62 draws. However, with the return of Giroux, the Flyers will get a boost at the dot. Rangers centers need to make sure they do not lose the draws cleanly, especially in the defensive zone.
  3. Push the pace – The Flyers have lost four of their last five and took a demoralizing defeat at the hands of the Bruins just three days ago.  Add to it that this will their captain’s first game in over two weeks. The Rangers need forget their own troubles and play a high tempo game to test the Flyers endurance and overall team morale.

East Division:

Last nights scoreboard

  • Sabres 4 ,  Devils  1
  • Penguins 3, Capitals 2 (in OT)

Standings

  1. Boston           16   11-3-2     24 points
  2. Washington  18     9-5-4     22 points
  3. Pittsburgh     17   10-6-1     21 points
  4. Islanders        18     9-6-3     21 points
  5. Philadelphia  15     8-4-3     19 points
  6. Rangers          16    6-7-3     15 points
  7. New Jersey     14    6-6-2     14 points
  8. Buffalo             16    6-8-2     14 points

Game Details

Puck drop is at 7pm and can be seen nationally on NBCSN. The radiocast can be heard on ESPN  98.7 FM

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