Rangers bully Flyers, ride into 10-game streak

Broad Street Beatdown: Rangers Dominate Flyers in Statement Third Period:

The Rangers' toughness was on full display in the final 20 minutes. An early Shesterkin freeze, as Garnet Hathaway tried to stir things up, saw Rempe easily smothered him in the crease.

Then, Chytil added to the highlight reel with a beautiful deflection to make it 4-1, assisted by Urho Vaakanainen. The team ensured that all six Rangers defensemen recorded points, only the fourth time the Blueshirts have achieved that feat this century.

The Flyers kept pressing, but Schneider and Miller, who were both fantastic all night, were there to clean up the mess. Speaking of Miller, it was his most complete performance of the season. Borgen deserves a shoutout, too — he was steady all game. Unfortunately, Zibanejad wasn't rescued from his woes and made a couple more mistakes. It's painful to watch him out there with zero confidence when the puck's on his stick. Hopefully, he figures it out soon because this team is heading for the playoffs, and they need him to produce when it matters most.

The Flyers tried to claw back, but Fox was a defensive masterclass, breaking up an odd-man rush with a perfectly timed interception. When Philly did get chances, Shesterkin was there to slam the door shut — his save on Hathaway with six minutes left was just another reminder of why he's the backbone of this team. He finished with 35 saves, and a 3.21 goals saved above expected, including making 10 of 11 stops on high-danger chances. Nine of those slot denials came in the second period, where the Blueshirts had trouble breaking the puck out. He's allowed just one goal in the last 185 minutes of play, and is beginning to live up to the record breaking eight-year, $92 million extension the franchise gave him a few weeks ago.

Late in the period, Egor Zamula gifted the Rangers a turnover, leading to over a minute of sustained offensive zone time. The Flyers finally got some relief when Panarin took another penalty, but the Blueshirts penalty kill was once again phenomenal. Trocheck nearly buried the empty netter, but instead, Fox capitalized moments later with a 6-on-4 goal to make it 5-1. That marked the first time since December 2022 that three Rangers defensemen — Fox, Miller, and Schneider — scored in the same game, as the blueliners combined for eight points on the evening.

Smith put the cherry on top, making it 6-1 with a quick power-play goal, cleaning up a loose puck just nine seconds in.

Flyers coach John Tortorella summed up the night perfectly, admitting the Rangers beat the Flyers at their own game. He pointed out that tip shots killed them and praised Igor for being unsolvable. Despite a substantial first period from Philly, the Flyers couldn't sustain it, and the Blueshirts capitalized on their chances.

Over the past week, New York have faced three red-hot teams, the Columbus Blue Jackets, Ottawa Senators, and Philly — who all came into MSG with winning streaks or strong records. The Rangers went 3-0 against them, outscoring the trio 12-1. The boys are buzzing on every level, and MSG is a fortress again.

To top it off, Shesterkin handed his game-used stick to a young fan after the game, a classy end to a near-flawless night.

The Rangers are surging, and with these type of performances, who knows what this heater can turn into.