Lifeless Rangers post another dud in loss to Flyers
On Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New York Rangers, 4-1, keeping their playoff hopes alive with two games remaining in the regular season.
Before the game, Adam Fox was honored as the 2024 Rod Gilbert “Mr. Ranger” Award winner. This prestigious award is given to the Ranger who best exemplifies leadership qualities both on and off the ice, along with dedication to the organization.
Travis Konecny and Ryan Peopling collected two points each in the victory, while Sam Ersson stopped 24 of 25 shots for his 22nd win of the season.
Artemi Panarin scored the lone goal on the night for New York, his 47th on the year. Jonathan Quick got the starting nod in net and made 23 saves in the loss.
“I don’t think we made good decisions,” coach Peter Laviolette lamented. “I thought as a group, we were off the mark.”
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Philadelphia Flyers 4 vs New York Rangers 1
The first period saw the Flyers take an early lead. At 4:21, Cam York scored his 10th goal of the season, putting Philadelphia up 1-0. This marked the 11th time in their last 14 games that the Rangers have conceded the first goal.
Despite the early setback, the Blueshirts found their rhythm during a five-on-three power play advantage. Panarin, continuing his exceptional season, scored his 47th goal at 18:19 to tie the game at 1-1.
The goal was a significant milestone for Panarin, as he has now recorded points in 65 games this season, setting a new franchise record for the Rangers. The score remained tied after 20 minutes of play.
In the second period, the Rangers struggled to create consistent offensive pressure at five-on-five, thanks in large part to a strong defensive performance from the Flyers.
The period began with the Rangers failing to capitalize on their opportunities and the Flyers successfully killing off an early penalty. Momentum then swung in favor of the Flyers, who regained the lead at 3:29. Bobby Brink scored his 11th goal of the season when his shot deflected off K’Andre Miller and past Quick, making it 2-1 Philadelphia.
As the period progressed, the Rangers continued to face difficulties in breaking through the Flyers’ defense. Philadelphia then extended their lead further with a goal from Konecny at 19:13. Konecny’s 32nd goal of the season widened the lead to 3-1 heading for the third period.
In the third period, the Rangers initiated a strong effort to claw back into the game. Despite their efforts to generate offense and momentum, the Flyers managed to further extend their lead.
At 5:56, Noah Cates scored his 6th goal of the season, bringing the score to 4-1 in favor of Philadelphia.
Following Cates’ goal, the Flyers stifled any further attempts by the Rangers to close the gap. Philadelphia’s solid defensive play throughout the remainder of the period ensured their 4-1 win.
The Rangers will be back in action on Saturday afternoon, as they welcome Mat Barzal and the New York Islanders to MSG. Puck drop is scheduled for 12:30 PM.
“Wins or losses, you try to analyze it either way,” Mika Zibanejad said. “We know it wasn’t a good game. We’ll get back to practice tomorrow. Feel good about ourselves, and get ready for Saturday.”
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