The New York Rangers are back at it against the Flyers as they kick off their back to back batch of afternoon games. The Rangers have now beaten the Flyers by a combined score of 17-3 in their last two meetings. The Blueshirts will look to keep things more or less the same while the Flyers will desperately look to break this brutal losing streak against one of their biggest rivals.
This is without a doubt the best stretch of hockey the Rangers have played so far this season. Look for them to go into this one with the exact same line up as well as the same exact game plan. They’re going to want to keep up the confidence all while not underestimating their opponent. You have to assume the Flyers are going to come out swinging, desperate to show some form life. The only change to the line up I could see the team making is putting Phil Di Giuseppe in for Brendan Lemieux if they feel he is ready but otherwise, expect the same lines:
Kreider - Zibanejad - Buchnevich
Panarin - Strome - Kakko
Lafreniere - Chytil - Gauthier
Lemieux - Rooney - Blackwell
Lindgren - Fox
Miller - Trouba
Smith - Hajek
As for goalies, Igor Sheshterkin will get the start again this afternoon. Igor had a strong performance in his first game back making some really big saves at key moments, allowing the Rangers to run away with the game. It will be interesting with the back to back games this weekend to see how they handle the goalie situation. As for Philly, expect Brian Elliott to get the nod instead of the struggling Carter Hart. Elliott relieved Hart of his duties during Thursday nights blowout.
While the Rangers can use Vitaly Kravtsov any given day now, it’s wise not to rush him in or make any changes while this team is playing well, trying to keep a streak of wins going. While you can make the case that it’d be better to bring him in against Philly rather than Washington tomorrow or Tuesday, don’t be surprised if the Rangers wait til later in the week when they meet Buffalo again.
Nevertheless, it's hard to say what we can expect for sure going into today's game. The Rangers dominate play against Philly is unlike anything we've seen in quite some time. The points continue to be important so the key for the Rangers is to just keep up their play and make sure they leave the city of brotherly love with another two points as they look to inch their way up the standings.
Chris Feldman
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