Rangers against the Philadelphia Flyers.
In their first meeting since the Winter Classic, which the Rangers won 3-2 despite possible NBC influence on the referees, the Rangers and Flyers are still neck and neck in the standings looking for a little room, or to move a bit closer to the top spot this afternoon. While most people in New York are still gearing up for the other game that's suppose to take place today, the game today between the Rangers and Flyers is just as important. The Rangers have managed to rebound after their rocky start after the All Star break, but got back in their groove when they put Henrik Lundqvist back between the pipes and he recorded his 41st career shutout against the Buffalo Sabres. The Rangers have had a few days to rest up for this game, and leaves them a lot of time to work on their dreadful powerplay. Some people have shied away from noticing the bad powerplay percentage, which is currently 13.7 percent, because of their great penalty kill which is at 87.6 percent. If the Rangers want to win tonight against the Flyers, they are going to need to ignite this powerplay and stay out of the penalty box. The Flyers have the 4th best powerplay in the league. Giving them too many chances on the powerplay could lead to a serious hole the Ranger may not be able to dig themselves out of 5-on-5.The Flyers will be without some key players to their lineup as their unfortunate epidemic of concussions continues. James van Riemsdyk and Danny Briere are sitting tonight, along with the still-shelved Chris Pronger. The Flyers are playing their second game in just 24-hours, in which they lost a 6-4 game to the Devils. It will be very evident if the Flyers have any sort of fatigue because of the scheduling, but they are still the Flyers, and are still just as dangerous as before.
The Diagnosis
While on the topic of fatigue, I feel it is going to play a role in the Flyers game today. It is tough playing back-to-back games, especially when in the first game you get trounced 6-4. With that said, the Rangers have had plenty of days to prepare for this game in their home arena, and hopefully can take advantage of a drained Flyers lineup. But, if they are going to win, special-teams is going to need to be sharp today. That is going to entail no powerplays for the Flyers, and converting while on the man-advantage.
The Prediction
Rangers win 2-1
Brad Richards has performed well against the Flyers this season, so I feel he gets the first goal for the Rangers early on in the 1st.
Claude Giroux will score the lone goal for the Flyers coming in the 2nd.
And finally, Ryan Callahan will get the game-winner in the 3rd.
Enjoy the game!
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