Oh Right, the Rangers Are Here Tonight

Share

A
bit lost in the daze between the final two Flyers-Penguins battles and
the looming playoff war is the fact that the Rangers are on the schedule
tonight. They'll try to sweep the season series over the Flyers, which
we'd obviously like to see avoided. But it's not quite as important as
everyone staying healthy, especially with two more Flyers being
sidelined this past Sunday. 

Ilya Bryzgalov is among the wounded, but he'll start
tonight, sharpening his game in the hopes of being a major
difference-maker in the postseason. He'll face Henrik Lundqvist, who is
making his 10th straight start. The Rags can clinch the top seed in the
East tonight, a scenario made possible by the Flyers' defeat of the
Penguins. They too will likely be playing with an eye toward the
postseason though. 

The Flyers can move ahead of the Penguins for fourth
in the conference, grabbing home ice advantage on their way. The Pens
also have a tough matchup as they skate in Boston at 7:30. Whether
either team currently sees playing at home in the opening round as an
advantage remains to be seen. 

The division feels like a powderkeg right now. While
on the one hand the Flyers may view tonight as a tune-up, there's more
than enough bad blood between them and the Rangers, and they will also
hope to avoid the sweep. Plus, what better way to head into the playoffs
than picking off the teams ahead of you in the standings?

After a brief slump, the Rangers got back on track
with four straight wins before their most recent game, which was a 2-1
loss to the Bruins. They had begun March by losing six of 10. Now,
they've gone four straight without giving up more than two goals. Can
the Flyers play the game of thrones with King Henrik and shake him up
prior to the playoffs? 

We're not betting on it. More than likely, to win,
they'll need Bryz to maintain that Star of the Month form while getting
some second efforts and traffic in the Rangers end.  
The postseason is coming…

Contact Us