12/23/11 Rangers vs. Flyers

I'm in the club, hollerin' ay-bay-bay.

Rangers against the Philadelphia Flyers.

These two teams will face off tonight for the final time before the winter Classic on January 1st. The Rangers took the last game against the Flyers 2-0 at MSG nearly a month ago, and now they host the Flyers again to see if they can conjure up the same magic they showed in the first meeting. The Rangers are coming off of a good win against the New York Islanders not even 24 hours ago where they won 4-2. Marian Gaborik, Brandon Dubinsky, and Michael Del Zotto scored for the Rangers, and John Mitchell got the empty netter to seal a victory for the Rangers that was backup goalie Marty Biron's seventh win of the season. The Rangers really amped it up when they needed to in that game, and they took advantage of every opportunity they saw, like the set play from Artem Anisimov to Marian Gaborik off the face-off to give the Rangers the lead. They played physical, and aggressive, but they also played intelligently too. For tonight, that same power they had last evening is going to be needed, as the Flyers are cruising.



The Flyers got star forward Claude Giroux back from his concussion, but tonight, another forward goes down as Danny Briere will sit tonight with a bruised hand. Giroux had a four point night in his return to the lineup, and is just as dangerous as ever despite his recent injury. If the Rangers can isolate and shut down Giroux while still maintaining awareness of players like Jaromir Jagr and Max Talbot, the Rangers can saunter into another win before Christmas.

The Diagnosis


Despite playing yesterday night, I think the Rangers are aware of what this game means. A win today can give them an emotional edge going into the Winter Classic, as they would have taken the first two games between these clubs. The key to success tonight for the Rangers is going to be staying out of the penalty box. The Flyers have a very hot power-play at the moment, and the Rangers' penalty kill has not been so stellar as of late. If they can do that, it will be a fine victory for the Rangers tonight in MSG.

The Prediction


Rangers win in Overtime.

Marian Gaborik will score the game winner in the dying minute of overtime.

Enjoy the game!