Rangers Vs. Flyers: Rangers Actually Win In OT This Time

- I don't think we've talked enough about how good Keith Yandle is going to be this year. Fully healthy from his playoff injury (shoulder injuries have to be relatively devastating for an offensive defenseman) he's going to have a dominant year. You can just see it. And with Dan Boyle also healthy, the Rangers have a true one-two power play punch that should make even the better penalty killing teams nervous.

- Oh, and he's essentially unstoppable on 3-on-3. Forget last night's penalty shot -- what a shot, by the way -- he just has a level of vision that allows him to slow the game down when there are five opponents out there. Now add sheets of open ice and see what happens. It's going to be fun.

- Glad to see Chris Kreider learned from past preseason mistakes and stopped celebrating hard in the preseason. His face didn't even celebrate the Dan Girardi goal and he barely acknowledged his own game-tying goal with less than a minute to go. Seriously, though, I'm expecting a huge year for him. I really am.

- Another really good night from Dylan McIlrath. Boy has he proved me wrong in almost every aspect of his game. I really think he's going to allow the Rangers to trade Kevin Klein to both create cap space and alleviate the log jam on defense.

- Viktor Stalberg is a better agitator and a better hitter than any enforcer the Rangers have employed in the past five years.

- I thought Monday was Emerson Etem's best preseason game so far. Amazing what happens when you allow a player get used to a new system and new teammates. Alain Vigneault seems impressed by him despite some of his early struggles which is good to see. He needs some time to put things together but when he does I really thin he's a special player.

- Everyone who is talking about how Etem is fighting with Tanner Glass for a roster spot this year were the same people who didn't blink an eye when J.T. Miller, Anthony Duclair and Jesper Fast couldn't crack the roster because of him and now realize how important they are to the team (excluding Duclair). Not surprising at all.

- I thought it was Kevin Hayes' best game of the preseason, too. I don't think he's struggled as much as people seem to think he has but he was very noticeable Monday night. Looks like he's going to stick at 3C which isn't a bad thing at all.

- Don't you just love the Flyers? They take liberties all night, try a knee-on-knee on Derek Stepan, Wayne Simmonds punches Kreider in the back of the head while he's tied up with another Flyer and an official, running players during the game, banging the glass after a preseason goal and then whining and crying when they think one of their players have been run. Rick Nash and Jakub Voracek get their feet tied up and it was all Claude Giroux could do to restrain himself from jumping over the boards as he complained to the official. Good thing Yandle ended the game right there, too, because who knows what shenanigans would have happened if 3-on-3 continued.

- Didn't look like the Rangers needed an enforcer when Kreider and McIlrath handled the third period scrum, did it?

The moment of reckoning is almost here, guys. Thoughts on this?