So the Flyers and the New York Rangers came into this game tied in the Metropolitan Division standings. Unfortunately for the Flyers they ran into a red hot Rangers team. With this 6-1 victory over the Flyers the Rangers extended their current point streak to 10 games. They’ve outscored their opponents 21-9 over the last five
The Flyers opened things up the right way. One of their missions tonight was to try to put an end, or at least a pause, to the dominant play of Rangers netminder Igor Shesterkin. Just 1:25 into the game Travis Konecny put the puck off of Owen Tippett’s skate and into the net.
That was the way to get things started but that is also where the Flyers scoring came to an end. After tonight’s game Shesterkin is 6-0-1 in his last seven games. That was the only goal he has let in over the course of his last three. Like I said, the deck was stacked against the Orange and Black tonight.
Game plan
The Rangers had a simple and effective plan. They were creating a ton of traffic in front of the Flyers net and firing pucks through it looking for screens or deflections. This worked out quite well for them. Three Rangers defenders scored goals in this game. In fact every single member of the defensive core registered a point.
The Flyers played a very conservative style in their victory over the Red Wings on Tuesday night. The game was not very exciting to watch but it ended in a 2-1 overtime victory. The Flyers game plan tonight was not easy to pin down.
The Rangers had the Flyers scrambling. They were often out of position, stuck in their own zone, or just flat out not connecting. They managed to put 34 shots on goal but Shesterkin is a really solid goalie and he’s in the middle of a hot streak. If he sees the puck coming he is going to stop it. There was not enough traffic or grease in the crease to give shots a chance of getting past him.
Upsides
With Ryan Poehling and Scott Laughton still out of the line-up Rodrigo Abols and Anthony Richard both got another NHL game under their belts. Abols tied Owen Tippett for most shots on goal tonight with four.
Anthony Richard who was impressive with the Flyers in his last call up looked good again tonight. He does a lot of things right. He was involved in the play and he’s noticeable in a good way during his shifts. He had a great individual effort near the end of the game. Showing a burst of speed he pulled away from the Rangers defenders carrying the puck from center ice to the front of the net only to be turned away by Shesterkin.
At one point Richard took a skate to the face. He went down to the ice and stayed there until he was attended to by a trainer. It was a solid kick under the visor. He made his way to the bench and not the tunnel. He sat there with his head down for a bit in obvious pain but ready to get back into the action.
Garnet Hathaway
There have been a few contentious games as of late where we have gotten to see a different side of Garnet Hathaway. Hathaway has shown patience and restraint exacting revenge on the scoreboard instead of dropping the gloves. Most notably after the suspension earning hit on Ryan Poehling and also during the epic home game against the Ducks.
Tonight there was a point where Matt Rempe and Braden Schneider had Hathaway down on the ice in the Rangers crease after the whistle. Hathaway’s helmet was knocked off, he was not instigating, and a penalty could have easily been called against either Ranger. Especially with Nick Deslauriers still out of the line-up you might expect Hathaway to take the bait in situations such as this. You could see by the look on his face he certainly wasn’t intimidated.
With about five minutes left in tonight’s game there was a prolonged period of time where they Flyers just could not clear the puck out of their zone. They desperately needed a line change and the Rangers were buzzing.
Hathaway blocked a shot that caught him up high. He shook it off and got control of the puck. He then skated it over the blue line through Artemi Panarin. An interference penalty was called against Panarin who couldn’t figure out a legal way to stop Hathaway from barreling through him. …Dude works hard, and he’s playing some real smart hockey.
The Flyers have less than 24 hours to figure out their next move. They are in Elmont NY Friday night to face the Islanders who are currently sitting at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. The first step for the Flyers is to put this game behind them. They need to focus and not underestimate the Islanders. The division standings are so tight at this point that any team can still get quickly left behind.
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