Entering Thursday's contest in Philadelphia, the Rangers had won the last eight games they had played against the Flyers dating back to March of 2011. However that streak came to a halt as the Flyers defeated the Rangers 2-1 Thursday.
Coming off their first win of the season 24 hours earlier---a 4-3 home-ice overtime triumph over the Bruins---the Rangers could not replicate most of the things that made them so successful on Wednesday. In particular the Rangers could not generate much of an offensive thrust the first two periods against a Flyers team which won for the first time in four tries on Thursday.
Trailing 2-0 early in the third period, the Rangers took advantage of their first power play of the game when Taylor Pyatt slid a neat pass from Marian Gaborik into the cage to get the visitors on the scoreboard, cutting their deficit in half. The goal was Pyatt's third in as many games, and his first on the power play this season.
The Rangers power play failed them, though, later in the third when, still trailing by a goal the Blueshirts could not take score when Tye McGinn was assessed a double minor for high sticking and 15 seconds later Nicklas Grossman was penalized.
Ryan Callahan and Rick Nash were both stoned point-blank by Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov during the 5-on-3 power play, but the Rangers did not generate nearly enough scoring chances and Philly received a huge boost from its clutch penalty kill.
The Flyers took the lead for good 11:53 into the second period when Grossman's slap shot caromed over the goal line after bouncing off Wayne Simmonds' skate..
• COMMENT ON BLUESHIRTS UNITED | PHOTO GALLERY
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STAT OF THE GAME
This loss ended the Blueshirts’ eight-game winning streak against the Flyers, dating back to a 7-0 win at MSG on March 6, 2011. It also ended a four-game winning streak at Philadelphia. |
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| (selected by newyorkrangers.com) |
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| 1. Lundqvist |
2. Pyatt |
3. Callahan |
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