Rangers vs Flyers: Rangers Dominated 4-1 by Flyers, Lose Third Straight
The New York Rangers dropped their third straight game of the preseason tonight as they were defeated 4-1 by the Philadelphia Flyers. Even though the Rangers didn’t play the greatest in the own zone tonight, they were at a pretty sizable disadvantage right from the start. Philadelphia elected to start pretty much their entire opening night roster while David Quinn opted for a very young lineup once again with roster spots still up for grabs.
1st Period
The Rangers didn’t give up a goal during the opening minute of play tonight unlike the previous two games, so they started this game off with a minor victory. That minor victory would only go so far though as the Flyers overcame some early pressure by New York and jumped out to a late first period lead.
James van Riemsdyk was credited with the opening goal of the game after redirecting Claude Giroux’s slap pass in behind Igor Shesterkin. The puck also ticked off of Jacob Trouba’s skate as it came in on net and created a difficult save for Shesterkin on the double deflection.
A little over a minute later, ex-Ranger Kevin Hayes picked up his first goal of the preseason on yet another deflection at the top of the crease. Jakub Voracek was able to draw several defenders out to him as he circled the high slot, and quickly ripped a shot through traffic. Hayes was able to ramp the puck up his stick and beat Shesterkin under the arm to make it 2-0 for the Flyers.
2nd Period
The Rangers never really rebounded in the second period and Philadelphia dominated the second period with scoring chance after scoring chance. At the 12:58 mark of the period, the Flyers finally broke through again and Carsen Twarynski made this a 3-0 game. Twarynski was able to enter the zone on a 2-on-1 rush and swatted the puck out of the air after Shesterkin made the initial save.
Igor Shesterkin continued to carry his weight during the remainder of the period as he single handily bailed the Rangers out of this period. He faced 20 shots on goal just during the middle frame, and despite what seemed like endless scoring opportunities, Shesterkin only allowed a single goal.
3rd Period
The Rangers’ defensive woes continued into the third period as well, and Philadelphia jumped out to a commanding 4-0 lead. Phil Di Giuseppe was whistled down for interference in the offensive zone and sent the Flyers to their second power play of the night. It wasn’t long before the puck eventually worked its way around to Jakub Voracek, who rifled a slap shot over the shoulder of Igor Shesterkin.
With under five minutes remaining in regulation, New York finally broke the shutout as Nick Jones sniped one past J-F Berube. Ryan Strome did an excellent job of transitioning the puck through the neutral zone and dished the puck over to Jones as he crossed the blue line. Unfortunately, that would be as close as the Rangers would come and they dropped the game 4-1 in regulation.
