Since the Philadelphia Flyers came off their impressive 10-game winning streak, they have reverted back to the team that they were prior to the streak; A team that is up-and-down offensively and defensively. As a result, they have gone 1-4-2 since the streak and will look to right the ship in an NBC Sports Network Rivalry Night game against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.
The Rangers have given the Flyers fits over the last handful of seasons. The Flyers are a team that has trouble facing opponents that attack their zone with speed, and the Rangers have been a major thorn in this department for a while now. These two teams first met on Black Friday this season, a game in which the Flyers largely outplayed the Rangers but ultimately fell 3-2 despite firing 42 shots on Henrick Lundqvist.
These two teams first met on Black Friday this season, a game in which the Flyers largely outplayed the Rangers but ultimately fell 3-2 despite firing 42 shots on Henrick Lundqvist.
New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Wells Fargo Center – 8:00 p.m. EST
Broadcast channels – NBC Sports Network; 97.5 The Fanatic
2016-17 Season Series: 1-0, Rangers Win 3-2 (11/26)
New York Rangers: 26-13-1 – 53 Points
Road Record: 13-6-0
Hot Players: Ryan McDonagh, Derek Stephan
Scratches: Adam Clendening
Injuries: Rick Nash (groin), Mika Zibanejad (IR, leg), Matt Puempel (suspected concussion), Pavel Buchnevich (IR, back)
Projected lines:
Forwards:
Chris Kreider – Derek Stepan – Mats Zuccarello
Jimmy Vesey – Kevin Hayes – Michael Grabner
J.T. Miller – Oscar Lindberg – Jesper Fast
Nicklas Jensen – Marek Hrivik – Brandon Pirri
Defense:
Ryan McDonagh – Kevin Klein
Marc Staal – Nick Holden
Brady Skjei – Dan Girardi
Starting Goaltender:
Antti Raanta
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Philadelphia Flyers: 20-14-5 – 45 Points
Home Record: 12-5-3
Hot Players: Travis Konecny, Brayden Schenn
Scratches: Boyd Gordon, Nick Schultz
Injuries: Mark Streit (LTIR, shoulder)
Projected lines:
Forwards:
Michael Raffl – Claude Giroux – Jakub Voracek
Travis Konecny – Brayden Schenn – Wayne Simmonds
Matt Read – Sean Couturier – Dale Weise
Chris VandeVelde – P-E Bellemare – Roman Lyubimov
Defense:
Ivan Provorov – Andrew MacDonald
Brandon Manning – Shayne Gostisbehere
Michael Del Zotto – Radko Gudas
Starting Goaltender:
Steve Mason
Game Notes
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]1)[/miptheme_dropcap] The Flyers have been reeling since their winning streak, it also didn’t help that they had a five-day break over Christmas. However, they need to keep themselves afloat in a division that is the best in the NHL before they ruin everything they had gained during their 10 game run. They currently sit in the second wildcard spot but are six points behind the Washington Capitals for the top wildcard spot.
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]2)[/miptheme_dropcap] One thing that describes coach Align Vigneault’s Rangers team this season is consistency. Both on the road and at Madison Square Garden they have played well, sporting a 13-6-0 and 13-7-1 records, respectively. Their average goals against is ranked ninth in the NHL and they boast the third best offense, depth throughout the lineup has contributed to their success.
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]3)[/miptheme_dropcap] The reason for the Flyers’ recent downturn has been the offense. Ironically, this was a staple of the team over the first several months of the season. They have scored only one or zero goals in five of the last nine games. However, the Flyers have hopefully turned some type of a corner in that department evidenced by their loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday night. They outshot the Ducks 52-25 and dominated the last two periods of the game.
[miptheme_dropcap style=”normal” color=”#222222″ background=””]4)[/miptheme_dropcap] The Flyers will catch a break tonight as it looks to be Antti Ratta in goal instead of future Hall-of-Famer Henrick Lundqvist, who played last night for the Rangers in a 4-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at MSG. However, Raanta has played well this year going 10-4-0, with a 2.28 goals against average, .921 save percentage and two shutouts.
