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Rangers vs Flyers: Rangers Fall Behind Early and Lose 5-3 to Philadelphia

Just two days after falling to the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center, the New York Rangers had a similar outcome this afternoon on home ice. The Flyers completely blew the doors off of this game as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never really looked back. New York’s defensive mistakes killed all of their momentum, and despite another late comeback bid, they fell by a final score of 5-3.

1st Period

Matt Niskanen (8) PPG - Nicolas Aube-Kubel (7) & Travis Sanheim (14) - 1:52 1st Period

After putting up five goals on Friday night against the Rangers, Philadelphia jumped out to a pretty quick lead just 1:52 into the game. Ryan Lindgren was sent off the ice for a hooking penalty just 23 seconds into the first period, and the Flyers took advantage with the man-advantage. A point shot by Travis Sanheim gave Henrik Lundqvist some trouble, and Matt Niskanen was able to tap home the loose puck in the crease.

Sean Couturier (21) PPG - Jakub Voracek (39) & Travis Konecny (37) - 11:19 1st Period

Nearly ten minutes after their opening tally, Philadelphia picked up their second power play goal of the afternoon, and made it a 2-0 game. New York simply allowed the Flyers too much space in the offensive zone, and they were burned with a quick passing play at the top of the crease. Jakub Voracek’s errant pass took a deflection off of Lundqvist’s right pad and flew out into the high slot where Sean Couturier was ready and waiting for the rebound.

Michael Raffl (7) SHG - Derek Grant (7) - 17:53 1st Period

Philadelphia’s special teams performance was on full display during the first period, and after picking up two prior power play goals, they added a shorthanded goal to the list. Ryan Strome was muscled off of the puck along the side boards, and the Flyers were able to transition up the ice. Derek Grant turned the rush into a 2-on-1 with his speed, and a misplay by Tony DeAngelo gave Michael Raffl a partial breakaway. Henrik Lundqvist didn’t stand much of chance after being left out to dry, and the Flyers took a commanding 3-0 lead in the first period.

2nd Period

Derek Grant (15) - Tyler Pitlick (11) & Travis Sanheim (15) - 1:23 2nd Period

The chaos carried over to the second period for the Rangers as Philadelphia continued to run away with this game. Yet another defensive miscue led to an odd-man rush against, and the Flyers capitalized once again. Derek Grant picked up his second point of the afternoon after he walked around Ryan Lindgren, and tapped home his 15th goal of the season.

Mika Zibanejad (31) PPG - Artemiy Panarin (57) & Tony DeAngelo (35) - 12:34 2nd Period

New York finally broke their scoreless drought in this game and picked up a power play goal of their own at the 12:34 mark of the second period. Artemiy Panarin created the goal with his incredible vision and he setup Mika Zibanejad with a perfect pass through the middle of the ice. Zibanejad was able to catch the puck in stride and redirected the puck over the shoulder of Carter Hart to make it a 4-1 game.

Travis Konecny (23) PPG - Jakub Voracek (40) & Ivan Provorov (22) - 15:34 2nd Period

Unfortunately, the Rangers’ momentum shift would be pretty short-lived as the Flyers came right back down the ice and added another insurance marker. Special teams were the story of the afternoon, and the Flyers registered their third power play goal of the game courtesy of Travis Konecny. Jakub Voracek placed a perfect pass through the middle of the slot, and Konecny redirected the puck home just four seconds into the man-advantage.

3rd Period

Pavel Buchnevich (15) PPG - Tony DeAngelo (36) & Mika Zibanejad (33) - 5:33 3rd Period

The Rangers’ offense finally started burying their chances to start the third period, and Pavel Buchnevich brought New York back within three. The initial one-timer chance by Tony DeAngelo didn’t have a whole lot of power behind it, but it was enough to get through traffic. Pavel Buchnevich was able to catch a slight deflection on the puck as it slid through, and he beat Carter Hart through the legs.

Mika Zibanejad (32) PPG - Artemiy Panarin (58) & Brett Howden (8) - 12:39 3rd Period

Despite struggling in this game, the Rangers obviously weren’t going to go away without a fight and clawed back within a pair of goals. The Rangers were able to force a turnover at the blue line, and Artemiy Panarin quickly threw a pass to the middle of the ice. Mika Zibanejad was able to jump the lane and broke in all alone on Carter Hart. A quick move to the backhand was all Zibanejad needed and he slipped the puck past Hart with a bar-down shot.

Even though the Rangers fought back in this game, it’s tough to win when you only show up for 20 minutes of a 60 minute hockey game. The Rangers’ defensive mistakes set them back early and they just never recovered despite a strong third period. Following this afternoon’s rough loss, the Rangers will shift their focus to Tuesday as they welcome in the defending Stanley Cup Champion, St. Louis Blues.

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