Rangers fall to the Philadelphia Flyers for second straight defeat
By Conor Power
Five minutes into the game, the Flyers would start by taking the lead. Travis Konecny would race up the ice with the puck into the offensive zone. A circle after gaining the zone to regroup allowed him a little more space than the Rangers' defensive scheme would have liked, but the Flyers' best winger had a passing lane to a jumping defenseman. He found it, and Cam York deposited the puck into the net past Jonathan Quick for a 1-0 Flyers lead.
Undeterred by the Flyers' early lead, the Rangers showed their determination by leveling the score in a five-on-three situation. Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin started a game of catch from the left circle back to the point. Eventually, Adam Fox received the puck next to the red line beside the goal before returning it to Panarin at the point. The Breadman unleashed a powerful shot that passed everything, tying the game at one.
Philadelphia would retake the lead in the second when they gained the zone. A simple shot from the blue line deflected a couple of times, once off K'Andre Miller and once off Ryan Poehling in front, and the shot from Bobby Brink saw the puck beat Quick again. It's not his fault; he's been helpless on both goals, but the Rangers' sloppy defensive play is biting them.
Philadelphia would tally another one before the end of the period. Ryan Poehling would drive into the offensive zone before pulling up in the circle. The Rangers' rapid retreat saw them overshoot the Flyers forward, allowing him the space to fire a puck to the back door for Travis Konecny to skate onto. He buries it past Quick to give the Flyers a two-goal lead.
It would be the Flyers building on their lead in the third period. Noah Cates drove up the right wing on the rush and took advantage of a miscommunication between the Rangers forwards and defenseman. He was left alone as he crashed towards the net and got the puck past Quick to make it a commanding 4-1 lead. It was now a giant ask for the Rangers to come back.
It was too much to overcome. A second attempt at creating history has now passed the Blueshirts by, and the organization's position is now highly precarious. A battle of New York is next on the docket, and if the Rangers lose that game in regulation, they risk losing the division lead. It needs to be cleaned up.