[26-18-4] | 2 4 04/16/2013 FINAL | [23-22-3] | |||||||||||||||
|
40 | SHOTS | 22 |
30 | FACEOFFS | 39 |
19 | HITS | 21 |
9 | PIM | 15 |
0/5 | PP | 1/2 |
7 | GIVEAWAYS | 7 |
5 | TAKEAWAYS | 5 |
14 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 19 |
MATCHUP | PREVIEW | BOXSCORE | RECAP |
RANGERS (21-16-4) AT FLYERS (18-21-3)
TV: NBCSN; RDS; CSN-PH
Last 10: New York 6-3-1; Philadelphia 5-4-1
Season series: This is the fifth and final meeting between the Atlantic Division rivals this season. The New York Rangers won three of the first four games between the teams, most recently March 26, a 5-2 win at Wells Fargo Center.
Big story: Can the Philadelphia Flyers take another big step in their push for a spot in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs? To do so, they'll have to cool off the surging Rangers and find a way to defeat a team that's beaten them in 10 of the past 11 meetings.
Team Scope:
Rangers: Coach John Tortorella knows exactly why his team has won five of its past seven games -- goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
"He's been on the top of his game," Tortorella told Blueshirts United. "There's no coincidence that we are 5-1-1. He's been really good. He is playing really well right now."
Lundqvist has been in goal for all seven of those games. In that span he's allowed 11 goals, and in his most recent outing he stopped all 29 shots for his first shutout of the season in a 1-0 overtime win against the New York Islanders on Saturday.
"I thought the start [to my season] was so-so, but after that I am happy with my play," Lundqvist told Blueshirts United. "I have been playing the style I want to play. There's always games, there's always goals, where I feel I could have done better. But I feel I've reached a level where I feel comfortable. All I can do is give the team a chance to win and then hope for the best."
Flyers: After scoring three goals in their four-game losing streak, the Flyers rediscovered their offense Monday with a 7-3 road win against the Montreal Canadiens.
Scott Hartnell led the offense with three goals, while Jakub Voracek had a goal and two assists.
"I think the biggest difference was that we were first on pucks," Voracek said. "We were skating pretty well. Every time we dumped it in, we had speed through the neutral zone. That was the biggest difference."
The Flyers' task is still daunting. They trail the eighth-place Rangers by seven points with six games remaining.
Who's hot: In six games with the Rangers, Derick Brassard has a goal and five assists. … Hartnell's hat trick was the seventh of his career; six have come with the Flyers.
Injury report: The Rangers are missing defenseman Marc Staal (eye) and forward Derek Dorsett (collarbone). … The Flyers will be missing forwards Maxime Talbot (leg), Zac Rinaldo (high ankle sprain) and Jody Shelley (hip), and defensemen Braydon Coburn (shoulder), Andrej Meszaros (shoulder) and Nicklas Grossmann (upper body).
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