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Wrap: Flyers Hold Off Rangers, 3-2 |
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The Philadelphia Flyers are not mathematically eliminated from making the playoffs this season but, realistically, are relegated to a spoiler's role at this stage of the season. On Thursday, the Flyers did grave damage to the New York Rangers' slim playoff hopes with a 3-2 regulation victory at Madison Square Garden.
A pair of deflection power play goals by James van Riemsdyk (15th and 16th) -- the first of which was a double-deflection of a Travis Konecny shot that went off the stick of K'Andre Miller and then off van Riemsdyk's chin or jaw and into the net -- keyed a three-goal rally for the Flyers after the trailed, 1-0, going into the latter stages of the second period. The latter, a nifty backhanded deflection of an Ivan Provorov shot, came with the Flyers on a four-minute power play.
Roughly three-and-a-half minutes after the second JVR goal, Jakub Voracek carried the puck on a 2-on-1 with Claude Giroux driving to the net. Normally a pass-first player, Voracek looked off the defender and fired a shot that beat Igor Sheshterkin upstairs.
The Flyers got off to a rough start in the game, with the Rangers dominating the majority of the first period, although Philly had a half-dozen good scoring chances of their own (to 13 for the Rangers. The play of Brian Ellliott kept the game from going sideways quickly. Only a Brendan Smith goal (4th) through a Brett Howden screen midway through the opening period found the net.
Late in the game, with the Flyers leading 3-1, the Rangers pulled Sheshterkin for an extra attacker and called timeout with 2:04 left and offensive zone draw upcoming. Mika Zibanejad won the draw cleanly, and Adam Fox rotated the puck to Artemi Panarin (17th) for a one-timer goal with exactly two minutes left in regulation. It had been a frustrating game for Panarin up to that point, as he'd been robbed several times by Elliott, including once on what looked like a surefire power play goal in the second period.
Elliott was outstanding overall in making 33 of 35 saves. For the Rangers, Sheshterkin deserved a better fate. He had no chance on either JVR deflection and was beaten by a perfectly placed Voracek when everyone in the building was expecting a pass to Giroux. With 54.3 seconds left in the second period, Joel Farabee was fouled on a breakaway and awarded a penalty shot (for the second time this season). Sheshterkin stayed right with the Flyers' second-year winger and gave him nothing to shoot at on a backhanded attempt.
Sheshterkin also twice came up with excellent saves on Flyers' rookie Wade Allison: once in the first period and once in the second. There were also a couple multi-chance scrambles around the Rangers' net -- as well as Philly's end -- but the goalies had the answers. Sheshterkin finished with 33 saves on 36 Flyers' shots.
The Flyers ended up 2-for-6 on the power play. The penalty kill wasn't exactly emphatic, except for the first one (after which the Smith goal followed very quickly), but Philly went 3-for-3 on the PK on this night.
The Flyers (21-18-7) and Rangers (23-18-6) will conclude their season series on Friday with another game at MSG. Alex Lyon will get the start in goal for the Flyers.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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