The New York Rangers got the monkey off their back by defeating the Boston Bruins at home on Wednesday. The team will face an equally desperate team that is attempting to avoid a dismal 0-4 start when New York travels to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers.
The Rangers were defeated 3-1 last Saturday on opening day before being humiliated a day later on home ice by the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-3. The team was widely touted as a front-runner to win the Stanley Cup, but its defense and goaltending (usually considered a strong point) fell apart in the latter match. The team got off to a strong start against Boston but was unable to sustain a 2-0 lead and eventually had to settle for a 4-3 win in Overtime. Marian Gaborik broke out for a hat trick and the top line of Rick Nash, Brad Richards, and Gaborik looked unstoppable. Despite the positives the Rangers will hope to see improvements from reigning Vezina winner Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers' goalie posted an incredible 1.97 goals against average and a 93.0 save percentage a season ago but has allowed an average of 4.03 goals in the three games and has only stopped 87.7 percent of the shots he has faced. It is a small sample size, but the goalie needs to be at the level he was a year ago if the Rangers are to fulfill their promise as potential champions.
The Flyers need everyone to step up. The team is off to a woeful 0-3 start that has seen the team lose 3-1 to Pittsburgh, get blown out 5-2 by Buffalo, and get shut out 3-0 by New Jersey. The team's secondary scoring has been virtually non-existent and the defense has looked overwhelmed by the opposition's top players. The Flyers lost all six games against the Rangers last year and need to win this game or else they will start to fall behind in the playoff hunt.
Predictions: Lundqvist will improve; the question is whether the Flyers' defense will. The Rangers match up really well against Philadelphia as proven a year ago and will likely romp through this one. Rangers win 4-1.
Start Time: 7 PM EST
TV Info: NHL Network
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
