Resurgent Rangers Silence Flyers, Take Game Three

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Dan Carcillo tallies the fourth and final Ranger goal, then lets Philadelphia know his feelings (Bruce Bennett/Getty)

Dan Carcillo tallies the fourth and final Ranger goal, then lets Philadelphia know his feelings (Bruce Bennett/Getty)

Fancy stats won’t always tell the whole story. In a game where the Flyers were a 62% corsi team, the Rangers still managed to come out on top by a 4-1 margin in a pivotal Game Three. They now lead the best of seven series two games to one.

Puck possession may have been the only area the Rangers fell short in Tuesday night.  The staunch defense blocked 28 shots in total.  Special teams wise, the Rangers were perfect on the penalty kill, killing all five Philadelphia power plays, including two as a result of horrid penalties from Benoit Pouliot.

Yesterday, we said the player to watch would be Henrik Lundqvist.  The King, to his credit, answered the call.  Lundqvist stopped 31 of 32 Flyers shots, including some timely saves in the third.

Martin St.Louis continued his stellar post-season, adding a goal and an assist in Game Three, as well as having the best corsi for on the team at +23.1%.  St.Louis now has five points in the Rangers first three games of the series.  He, along with Derek Stepan, Dan Girardi and Dan Carcillo (more on him in a second) found the back of the net behind Ray Emery, who learned last night what “regression to the mean” was all about.

Carcillo may have provided the feel good moment of the night.  After previously being knocked to the ice momentarily, followed by being sent to the penalty box, Carcillo broke free and scored the fourth and final insurance goal for the Blueshirts.  His celebration left little to be desired, slamming his stick against the glass of Wells Fargo Center and taunting a legion of former supporters amidst a sea of middle fingers.

[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuBE3Er_yf0″]Game Seven Highlights – [/su_youtube]

Looking Ahead:  Steve Mason, who appeared in mop up duty late in the third, will almost certainly get the start in net on Friday, though coach Craig Berube hasn’t committed to a starter yet.  Claude Giroux, who registered his first two shots on goal of the series Tuesday night, guaranteed Game Four victory.

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One would think that’s big talk from someone who has been all but invisible throughout this series thus far.  Giroux and Wayne Simmonds have been held goal-less in all three games, combining for two points along the way.  As for the Rangers, you’d have to think Carcillo will remain in the lineup at least for Friday, potentially longer.

 

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