Rangers start quick and down Flyers 4-1, win sixth straight at home
The New York Rangers played host to the Philadelphia Flyers after a long layoff. Usually a team that hasn’t played in five days has a hard time finding their skating legs but not the Rangers.
They came out quick and strong carrying themselves to another victory on home ice, which is now at six straight.
Recap: Rangers 4 vs Flyers 1
The Blueshirts were flying early against their struggling rival from the City of Brotherly Love. While the Flyers were scrambling in all three zones, the Rangers peppered Carter Hart with 15 shots in the opening frame.
Morgan Frost would take a penalty at the 2:03 mark when he hit Julien Gauthier with a high stick. This time, it was the Rangers second power play unit that moved the puck beautifully before Jacob Trouba blasted a cannon ball past Hart for a 1-0 lead. Kaapo Kakko and Nils Lundkvist would pick up the assists.
“It’s good for our unit to get a goal,” Trouba said.
The Rangers would make it 2-0 at 9:32 when Dryden Hunt took a hard pass from Artemi Panarin off his skate to score a beauty. For Hunt, it was goals in consecutive games on the second line.
Philadelphia would get a gift late in the first period when the linesman erroneously called offside on a Rangers goal by Rooney. Unlike when a coach can challenge a goal that was offside, once a linesman calls a play offside it can’t be reviewed.
The Rangers were not discouraged by the blown call as they scored on the first shift of the second period. Kakko would find Chris Kreider in the slot for his 16th goal of the year just 34 seconds in. Mika Zibanejad would get the other helper giving him 300 points with the Blueshirts. For Kakko it was his second assist.
Philly would get a huge opportunity to get back in the game when Hunt was given a 5-minute major and a game misconduct for charging Justin Braun. This is where Igor Shesterkin would steal the show as he made seven saves including a spectacular point blank stop on Cam Atkinson.
While they didn’t score on the major it certainly shifted momentum. The Flyers would get one at the 10:23 mark as Frost snuck by Alexis Lafrenière to jab at the puck and slide under Shesterkin. When the middle frame was over, Philly outshot the Rangers 15-5.
“We’ve got to get the momentum back and get the flow going,” Trouba explained after the second period.
The Rangers played a much better third period and outshot the Flyers 8-7 despite losing another forward. Early in the final stanza, Keith Yandle’s wrist shot deflected off Barclay Goodrow’s stick and went right up into his face. On the replay, you can see the puck shatter Goodrow’s visor before hitting him above the eye. He immediately left for the locker-room and did not return.
After the game, head coach Gerard Gallant said he was okay but did receive a cut.
Panarin would seal the deal with an empty net goal for the 4-1 win. Shesterkin took first star honors with a 33 save performance for his 12th win of the season.
“Things were rolling real good then you lose guys, we just couldn’t get our momentum back,” Gallant said about losing Hunt and Goodrow. “In the last five minutes we played real well.”
Notable Rangers
- Igor Shesterkin is now 12-3-2 on the season
- Kaapo Kakko picked up two assists and now has 8 points in last 8 games
- Artemi Panarin had another multi-point game (1G – 1A)
- NYR PP was 1/2, and their PK was perfect 3-3 including a 5-minute major
Tomorrow (Thursday, December 2): Practice at 12 PM (MSG Training Center)
Next Game: Friday, December 3 vs. San Jose Sharks (7:00 p.m. ET – TV: MSG)
*Schedule subject to change
NHL Rumors
The Rangers are in on DeBrusk and Patrick Roy wants the Montreal job. Read here.
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