courtesy of Blueshirts Unted
Who: New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Where: Wells Fargo Center
When: Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 12:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
*****
The Skinny:
Coming off a tough 3-1 road loss to the Islanders on Thursday night, the Rangers (23-15-5, 51 pts) remain on the road to face another divisional foe Saturday afternoon when they skate against the Philadelphia Flyers (19-15-7, 45 pts) at the Wells Fargo Center. That loss dropped the Rangers into third place, two points behind the Islanders, in the Metropolitan Division; and don’t look now but the Flyers—who missed the playoffs last spring and in two of the past three seasons are lurking in the rearview mirror, making Saturday’s matinee all the more important. The Flyers come in riding a four-game winning streak—equaling their season high—while the Rangers have not won consecutive games since November 21-23. Thursday’s loss dropped the Rangers road record to 7-10-3, and they have lost nine of their last ten (1-7-2) away from MSG. In contrast they will face a Flyers squad that has won six straight on home ice. Head coach Alain Vigneault will give Henrik Lundqvist his 11th straight start between the pipes for New York on Saturday, and will likely return rookie Oscar Lindberg to the lineup after scratching him the previous two games. Lindberg practiced on a line with Kevin Hayes and Jesper Fast on Friday; while Jayson Megna and Viktor Stalberg alternated rotations on the fourth line, meaning likely that one of those forwards will be scratched against the Flyers. Veteran defenseman Dan Girardi—who sat out Thursday’s loss in Brooklyn--declared his stitched-up thumb good enough to allow him to play Saturday, and Vigneault acknowledged that his return was expected. That would mean rookie Dylan McIlrath, who took three minor penalties Thursday, would be a healthy scratch. The Flyers are hoping that their talented young rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (7-9-16 in 23 games played) will be able to return from a two-game absence due to an upper body injury. The Rangers are looking to get their power play untracked as its currently on a dismal 0-for-18 run coming into Saturday’s contest, and the Flyers 25th ranked penalty kill just might be the right tonic. In addition the Flyers own power play is ranked 28th overall in the NHL, and an even worse 29th on home ice this season; so winning the special teams battle is a must for the Rangers in this one. Since last seeing the Rangers back on November 28 the Flyers have posted a solid 10-6-2 record, marred only by a winless three-game road trip through California. The Flyers have also gained salary cap space by trading disappointing veterans Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn to Los Angeles as things continue to look up on Broad Street.
Head To Head:
The Rangers and Flyers will be meeting for the third time in their five-game season series on Saturday afternoon. So far the Rangers have managed only point out of four against the Flyers, losing 3-2 in a shootout down in Philadelphia on October 24 before being shut out 3-0 at Madison Square Garden on November 28. Henrik Lundqvist started the first game and made 46 saves in a valiant losing effort, while Raanta stopped 31 of 33 shots in the home-ice defeat. J.T. Miller and Derick Brassard are the only Blueshirts to have scored so far in this season series, and only one of those goals was scored at even strength where the Rangers have been outscored in two games by the Flyers 5-1. Despite the shootout loss earlier this season, Lundqvist is 14-3-1 in his last 18 starts against the Flyers with a GAA of 1.83 and a save percentage of .941. The two teams will next play on February 6 in Philly before concluding the season series eight days later at The Garden.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Kevin Hayes: Friday after practice Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault discussed Kevin Hayes in somewhat bewildered terms, referring to the second year pro’s performance in Thursday’s loss to the Islanders. On one hand, noted Vigneault, made a simply gorgeous spinning pass off the rush to set up the team’s only goal of the game late in the second period. Then on the other hand there was his turnover which proceeded the tying goal being scored by the Isles early in the third period. Such is the current state of trying to nurture the 23 year-old Hayes, who recently was scratched for a pair of games by a head coach who was clearly perturbed by Hayes’ oft-indifferent play. As AV likes to point out, the skill set is most definitely there with Hayes. Trying to get him to deliver on a consistent basis is the difficult part, as is getting Hayes to be a 200-foot player. In four games since being last scratched, Hayes has recorded three points (1-2-3), so perhaps his production is set to take off and at least approach the levels he reached as a rookie a year ago when he recorded 17 goals and 45 points. At present Hayes is tied for fifth on the club with 20 points (7-13-20), though he only has one goal in his last 20 games played.
Flyers-Sean Couturier: He’s known more for his defense—and he is one of the top defensive centers and penalty killers in the NHL today—but Sean Couturier has turned into one of the Flyers more potent offensive weapons as of late, as well. Couturier has scored three goals and totaled five points in the Flyers last four games, and he is 6-6-12 in his last 11 games, making one of Philly’s most lethal scorers as of late. He is currently third on the team with nine goals scored and fifth with 20 points, while also leading the club with a +8 plus/minus rating. Couturier’s play has fleshed out the Flyers offense, giving the team more depth behind the top heavy line centered by Claude Giroux. The 23 year-old Couturier has never scored more than 15 goals or 39 points in a season, but he is clearly maturing into a solid two-way player now. The skill level has always been there, shown in flashes, but it’s almost always been about the defense with Couturier, now it’s the offense, too.
Where: Wells Fargo Center
When: Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM
Watch: MSG Network beginning at 12:30 PM
Listen: ESPN-98.7 FM and NewYorkRangers.com
*****
The Skinny:
Coming off a tough 3-1 road loss to the Islanders on Thursday night, the Rangers (23-15-5, 51 pts) remain on the road to face another divisional foe Saturday afternoon when they skate against the Philadelphia Flyers (19-15-7, 45 pts) at the Wells Fargo Center. That loss dropped the Rangers into third place, two points behind the Islanders, in the Metropolitan Division; and don’t look now but the Flyers—who missed the playoffs last spring and in two of the past three seasons are lurking in the rearview mirror, making Saturday’s matinee all the more important. The Flyers come in riding a four-game winning streak—equaling their season high—while the Rangers have not won consecutive games since November 21-23. Thursday’s loss dropped the Rangers road record to 7-10-3, and they have lost nine of their last ten (1-7-2) away from MSG. In contrast they will face a Flyers squad that has won six straight on home ice. Head coach Alain Vigneault will give Henrik Lundqvist his 11th straight start between the pipes for New York on Saturday, and will likely return rookie Oscar Lindberg to the lineup after scratching him the previous two games. Lindberg practiced on a line with Kevin Hayes and Jesper Fast on Friday; while Jayson Megna and Viktor Stalberg alternated rotations on the fourth line, meaning likely that one of those forwards will be scratched against the Flyers. Veteran defenseman Dan Girardi—who sat out Thursday’s loss in Brooklyn--declared his stitched-up thumb good enough to allow him to play Saturday, and Vigneault acknowledged that his return was expected. That would mean rookie Dylan McIlrath, who took three minor penalties Thursday, would be a healthy scratch. The Flyers are hoping that their talented young rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (7-9-16 in 23 games played) will be able to return from a two-game absence due to an upper body injury. The Rangers are looking to get their power play untracked as its currently on a dismal 0-for-18 run coming into Saturday’s contest, and the Flyers 25th ranked penalty kill just might be the right tonic. In addition the Flyers own power play is ranked 28th overall in the NHL, and an even worse 29th on home ice this season; so winning the special teams battle is a must for the Rangers in this one. Since last seeing the Rangers back on November 28 the Flyers have posted a solid 10-6-2 record, marred only by a winless three-game road trip through California. The Flyers have also gained salary cap space by trading disappointing veterans Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn to Los Angeles as things continue to look up on Broad Street.
Head To Head:
The Rangers and Flyers will be meeting for the third time in their five-game season series on Saturday afternoon. So far the Rangers have managed only point out of four against the Flyers, losing 3-2 in a shootout down in Philadelphia on October 24 before being shut out 3-0 at Madison Square Garden on November 28. Henrik Lundqvist started the first game and made 46 saves in a valiant losing effort, while Raanta stopped 31 of 33 shots in the home-ice defeat. J.T. Miller and Derick Brassard are the only Blueshirts to have scored so far in this season series, and only one of those goals was scored at even strength where the Rangers have been outscored in two games by the Flyers 5-1. Despite the shootout loss earlier this season, Lundqvist is 14-3-1 in his last 18 starts against the Flyers with a GAA of 1.83 and a save percentage of .941. The two teams will next play on February 6 in Philly before concluding the season series eight days later at The Garden.
Players To Watch:
Rangers-Kevin Hayes: Friday after practice Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault discussed Kevin Hayes in somewhat bewildered terms, referring to the second year pro’s performance in Thursday’s loss to the Islanders. On one hand, noted Vigneault, made a simply gorgeous spinning pass off the rush to set up the team’s only goal of the game late in the second period. Then on the other hand there was his turnover which proceeded the tying goal being scored by the Isles early in the third period. Such is the current state of trying to nurture the 23 year-old Hayes, who recently was scratched for a pair of games by a head coach who was clearly perturbed by Hayes’ oft-indifferent play. As AV likes to point out, the skill set is most definitely there with Hayes. Trying to get him to deliver on a consistent basis is the difficult part, as is getting Hayes to be a 200-foot player. In four games since being last scratched, Hayes has recorded three points (1-2-3), so perhaps his production is set to take off and at least approach the levels he reached as a rookie a year ago when he recorded 17 goals and 45 points. At present Hayes is tied for fifth on the club with 20 points (7-13-20), though he only has one goal in his last 20 games played.
Flyers-Sean Couturier: He’s known more for his defense—and he is one of the top defensive centers and penalty killers in the NHL today—but Sean Couturier has turned into one of the Flyers more potent offensive weapons as of late, as well. Couturier has scored three goals and totaled five points in the Flyers last four games, and he is 6-6-12 in his last 11 games, making one of Philly’s most lethal scorers as of late. He is currently third on the team with nine goals scored and fifth with 20 points, while also leading the club with a +8 plus/minus rating. Couturier’s play has fleshed out the Flyers offense, giving the team more depth behind the top heavy line centered by Claude Giroux. The 23 year-old Couturier has never scored more than 15 goals or 39 points in a season, but he is clearly maturing into a solid two-way player now. The skill level has always been there, shown in flashes, but it’s almost always been about the defense with Couturier, now it’s the offense, too.
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