For the New York Rangers, the time is now to turn their nine-game point streak into 10.
Thursday night, the Rangers face another Wild Card contender in the Philadelphia Flyers, who are even with the Blueshirts with 50 points. Both teams sit two points out of the seven and eight seeds. No matter which team wins, they both have a chance to jump into a playoff spot, depending on what the teams ahead of them do.
Here's who the opposing team's player to watch is ahead of the high-stakes matchup.
Travis Konecny
Travis Konecny is one of the NHL's best. The forward and alternate captain is currently ranked and tied for No. 10 in the league in points with 54, also serving as the team-leader for Philadelphia.
The winger has appeared in 48 games this season, with his 54 points being combined from 21 goals and 33 assists (+2). Konecny potted his 21st goal of 2024-25 in the final seconds of the third period in Saturday's 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils. He has five tallies and eight helpers in his last 10 outings.
Travis Konecny began to elevate his NHL career when he had 31 goals and 61 points in 60 games of the 2022-23 season. He took a step further in 2023-24 with 33 goals, 68 points and a League-leading six short-handed goals in 76 games.
He signed an eight-year, $70 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on July 25, 2024, in lieu of becoming an unrestricted free agent after the 2024-25 season. He's played his entire league career so far with the Flyers; he was drafted by Philadelphia in 2015 as the No. 24 overall pick.
Prior to entering the league Konecny grew up dominating minor hockey in the Toronto area, including a minor-midget season (2012-13) when he scored 114 points (53 goals, 61 assists) in 54 games. He was a mere 19-years-old when he made the Flyers opening-night roster for the 2016-17 season. In his first NHL game, at the Los Angeles Kings on Oct. 14, 2016, Konecny had two assists in a 4-2 victory.
The Ontario, Canada native also played in the NHL All-Star Game in 2020 and as recently as 2024.
How to Tune In
The Rangers are back at home at Madison Square Garden for the second of their four-game homestand. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST against Philadelphia and the matchup is available for livestreaming via ESPN+. Be sure to tune into our Twitter for live updates.