NHL Thanksgiving Showdown: 5 Storylines

Any good feelings that the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers enjoyed on Thanksgiving figure to be long gone by the time they take the ice at Wells Fargo Center for the 2018 Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown on Friday (1 p.m. ET; NBC).

Not much was expected from the Rangers this season, but they are 12-8-2 under first-year coach David Quinn, although they've won three of 10 games away from Madison Square Garden. The Flyers have had a roller-coaster first quarter that has them in a three-way tie for last place in the Metropolitan Division.
Here are 5 storylines to keep an eye on.

Mutual dislike

The Flyers and Rangers have played in the same division since the beginning of the 1974-75 season -- a few months after the Flyers outlasted the Rangers in the Stanley Cup Semifinals on the way to the first of their back-to-back championships. The rosters and coaches have changed since their first meeting, a 3-2 win by the expansion Flyers at the Spectrum on Nov. 16, 1967, but the dislike between the teams and their fans has endured for more than a half-century. This season is no different.

Rangers rolling

The Rangers missed the playoffs last season and went 3-7-1 in their first 11 games this season. But beginning with a 4-3 shootout win at the San Jose Sharks on Oct. 30, the Rangers have gone 9-1-1, including a 5-0 victory against the New York Islanders on Wednesday that avenged the only regulation loss during the surge. New York used a balanced offense, good defense and solid goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist and rookie Alexandar Georgiev, who shut out the Islanders. The Rangers have 26 points, tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for the Metropolitan Division lead (they've played 22 games, one more than Columbus), and look like a genuine playoff contender.

Chytil finds scoring touch

The Rangers took forward Filip Chytil in the first round (No. 21) in the 2017 NHL Draft. He got a taste of the NHL late last season and was seeing fourth-line ice time early in the season. But after scoring his first goal of the season against the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 12, Chytil has played his way up in the forward rotation. The 19-year-old became the first teenager in Rangers history and the 20th in NHL history to score a goal in five straight games when he opened the scoring against the Islanders 29 seconds into the first period. He's given the Rangers a huge spark.

Flyers struggling

In contrast to the Rangers, the Flyers have lost four in a row after going 9-7-1 through Nov. 10, dropping them to 9-10-2. The biggest problem has been defense; Philadelphia's 76 goals against are the most of any team in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers are averaging 3.05 goals per game, but that number dropped to 1.75 during the losing streak -- with four of the seven goals coming after the Flyers fell behind the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1 in the third period on Saturday. The Flyers have paid a big price for poor starts -- including four goals allowed in the first period of their most recent loss, 5-2 at the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.

Goalie problems in Philadelphia

The Flyers are down to their third and fourth goaltenders because of injury. Starter Brian Elliott was playing well before sustaining a lower-body injury last week. Michal Neuvirth (lower body) has played one game all season. Calvin Pickard has had his ups and downs, and Alex Lyon's first NHL start of the season lasted one period; he was replaced by Pickard after allowing four goals on 12 shots in 20 minutes against Buffalo. Coach Dave Hakstol needs someone step up before the Flyers dig themselves a hole they won't be able to climb out of.