|
Flyers Gameday: 2/14/16 @ NYR |
|
|
|
|
|
PREVIEW: FLYERS @ RANGERS
Concluding a weekend back-to-back set of crucial divisional games, Dave Hakstol's Philadelphia Flyers (24-20-10) are in Manhattan to take on Alain Vigneault's Mew York Rangers (31-18-6). Game time at Madison Square Garden is 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will televised on NBC Sports Network.
This is the fifth and final meeting of the season series between the teams, and the second in New York. Three of the four games have been 65-minute ties, with the host Flyers winning via shootout on Oct. 24 and the Rangers prevailing in the skills competition on Jan. 16 and Feb. 6. On the afternoon of Nov. 28, the Flyers snapped a 10-game losing streak at MSG with a 3-0 shutout victory.
The Flyers will be in action for the eighth time in 13 nights and the fourth in six nights for the second straight week. The Flyers hosted the New Jersey Devils on Saturday afternoon. The Rangers have had a comparatively moderate recent schedule, having not had to deal with any back-to-back games this month. On Friday, the Rangers hosted the LA Kings.
Flyers Outlook
The Flyers are 3-2-2 thus far in February. For the season, the team is 11-12-3 on the road. Against the Rangers, Philly is 3-0-2 in the last five meetings.
On Saturday, the Flyers muddled through a terrible first period and a 1-0 deficit to the Devils to take over the game in the second and third periods. Shayne Gostisbehere dialed up a third-period power play goal to knot the score at 1-1. However, the Devils prevailed, 2-1, on an overtime power play goal. The Flyers went 0-for-2 on the penalty kill and 1-for-4 on the power play. In his return to the lineup from a lower-body injury that had kept him out since the All-Star break, Michal Neuvirth stopped 22 of 24 shots in a losing cause.
Gostisbehere's goal was an historic one. He establish a new NHL rookie record among defensemen, extending his current point streak to 11 consecutive games. The Floridian also set a new Flyers franchise rookie record point streak, eclipsing the 10-game streak that forward Mikael Renberg assembled in 1993-94.
Saturday's game was costly not only in the standings but also on the injury front. The Flyers lost Michael Del Zotto to an upper-body injury (suspected to be his left wrist) that will keep him out for multiple weeks. The Flyers also remain without key two-way center Sean Couturier (IR, lower-body injury) for the rest of February. The team is just 3-8-3 without Couturier in the lineup. He has been one of the team's best players against the Rangers this season.
The Flyers recalled veteran defenseman Andrew MacDonald from the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday evening. He had a one-game return to Philadelphia earlier this season.
The last time the Flyers played the Rangers, they lost power forward Wayne Simmonds to a controversial match penalty in the first period. In a scrum behind the play, Rangers top-pairing defenseman Ryan McDonagh and Simmonds exchanged slashes. McDonagh then cross-checked Simmonds in the head and Simmonds retaliated with a gloves-one punch that sent McDonagh down to the ice and kayoed him. McDonagh left the game with a concussion and has not played since.
Team captain Claude Giroux leads the Flyers with 16 goals, 30 assists and 46 points in 53 games. He is followed on the Flyers' scoring leader list by Jakub Voracek (eight goals, 35 assists, 43 points), Simmonds (20 goals, 16 assists, 36 points, 110 penalty minutes), and Brayden Schenn (15 goals, 15 assists, 30 points). Rookie defenseman Gostisbehere has 10 goals (six on the power play, three in overtime), 20 assists and 30 points in 36 games. The injured Couturier rounds out the top six with nine goals, 15 assists and 24 points in 40 games.
Likely starter Steve Mason has appeared in 35 games, posting a 13-14-7 record, 2.65 goals against average, .917 save percentage and three shutouts (four regulation shutouts). Neuvirth has appeared in 21 games, posting an 11-6-3 record, 2.13 GAA, .932 save percentage and three shutouts.
Rangers Outlook
The Rangers as 4-1-1 so far in February. The club, which is currently on a three-game homestand, has posted a 20-5-3 home record to date this season.
On Friday, the Rangers lost a seesaw 5-4 OT decision to the LA Kings as they were unable to protect a one-goal lead in the final half-minute of regulation. The Kings prevailed on Tanner Pearson's short-side goal at 3:10 of the extra frame. Viktor Stålberg, Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes (power play) scored for the Rangers, while Antti Raanta stopped 29 of 34 shots.
The Rangers still have two key players -- forward Rick Nash (IR, bone bruise in his left leg) and defenseman McDonagh -- out of the lineup. McDonagh has resumed skating but is not yet ready to be cleared to return to play. Nash has been shut down for at least another week.
Rangers fourth-line forward Tanner Glass has a bit of a history of animosity with the Flyers, although much of it has come in the form of verbal threats to the likes of Danny Briere and footnote fights such as a preseason bout with Phantoms-bound enforcer Zack Stortini last year. Glass vowed retribution on Simmonds on behalf of McDonagh. Asked for a reaction to Glass's threat, Simmonds shrugged and said, "I'm laughing."
Zuccarello, who scored the winning shootout goal in each of the last two meetings with the Flyers, leads the Rangers with 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) in 55 games this season. He is followed by Derick Brassard (18 goals, 22 assists, 40 points), Nash (12 goals, 21 assists, 33 points in 45 games), offensive defenseman Keith Yandle (four goals, 26 assists, 30 points) and forward J.T. Miller (17 goals, 13 assists, 30 points).
Perennial star goaltender Henrik Lundqvist has made 45 starts and one relief appearance, posting a 27-14-4 record, 2.32 goals against average, .923 save percentage and three shutouts. He will get the nod against the Flyers after backup Raanta (10 GPI, 4-4-2, 2.57 GAA, .902 SV%, 1 SO) played against the Kings.
Key team stat comparisons (NHL overall ranking)
Non-shootout goals per game: Flyers 2.37 (25th), Rangers 2.86 (5th)
Non-shootout goals against per game: Flyers 2.59 (14th), Rangers 2.54 (13th)
5-on-5 Goals For/Against Ratio: Flyers 80/80, Rangers 71/77
Power play efficiency: Flyers 17.9% (23rd), Rangers 16.3% (7th)
Penalty killing efficiency: Flyers 78.5% (20th), Rangers 78.0% (T-24th)
Shots per game: Flyers 30.3 (13th), Rangers 29.3 (18th)
Shots against per game: Flyers 32.2 (29th), Rangers 29.7 (T-13th)
Faceoff percentage: Flyers 50.2% (T-12th), Rangers 49.6% (20th)
Projected lineups (subject to change, will be updated)
Flyers
93 Jakub Voracek - 28 Claude Giroux - 17 Wayne Simmonds
12 Michael Raffl - 52 Nick Cousins - 10 Brayden Schenn
76 Chris VandeVelde - 78 Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - 25 Ryan White
24 Matt Read - 21 Scott Laughton - 20 R.J. Umberger
47 Andrew MacDonald - 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
55 Nick Schultz - 32 Mark Streit
82 Evgeny Medvedev - 3 Radko Gudas
30 Michal Neuvirth / 35 Steve Mason
Scratches: Brandon Manning (healthy), Sam Gagner (healthy), Jordan Weal (healthy), Sean Couturier (IR, lower body). Michael Del Zotto (IR, upper body).
Rangers
10 J.T. Miller - 16 Derick Brassard - 19 Jesper Fast
20 Chris Kreider - 21 Derek Stepan - 36 Mats Zuccarello
24 Oscar Lindber - 13 Kevin Hayes - 25 Viktor Stålberg
15 Tanner Glass - 28 Dominic Moore - 12 Daniel Paille
18 Marc Staal - 8 Kevin Klein
93 Keith Yandle - 5 Dan Girardi
22 Dan Boyle - 6 Dylan McIlrath
30 Henrik Lundqvist
[32 Antti Raanta]
Scratches: Rick Nash (IR, deep bone bruise), Ryan McDonagh (concussion).
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»