Rangers Top Flyers in an Action Packed Game

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The Rangers took the ice in Philly in a Saturday matinée to take on the Flyers in what turned out to be an eventful and very action packed game. Though they were behind at first, the Rangers ended up coming ahead thanks to an incredible goal made by Keith Yandle to tie the game with just 12.9 seconds left in regulation.

Getting to OT eventually led to a Rangers win in a shoot out, thanks to two goals by forwards Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan and model goal-tending by Henrik Lundqvist.

What made the game so eventful, aside from action-packed periods with back and forth play, was losing captain Ryan McDonagh to injury in the 1st period and rookie Oscar Lindberg’s first NHL fight. Yandle’s goal, which saved the game, was also an incredible highlight, one that shut down the Flyer’s belief that they had already won the game early in.

 

McDonagh Leaves Injured

In the first period, Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds came up to check McDonagh, who had already moved the puck up the ice and no longer had possession. Despite this, Simmonds checks McDonagh, who had put his arms and stick up in a defensive position to protect himself.

After coming into contact with McDonagh’s stick, Simmonds retaliated  and slashed the Ranger’s leg before sucker punching him in the face. Mac went down to the ice in pain and Simmonds was pulled aside by Kevin Klein and the linesmen.

Simmonds was ejected from the game because he had acted with intent to injure, therefore he received a game misconduct and a match penalty. Due to the match penalty he received, Simmonds will be automatically suspended from the Flyers’ next game while waiting on review from the league.

McDonagh left the ice after this hit and did not return for play. After the game, coach Alain Vigneault stated that McDonagh did not return due to precautionary reasons and that more about his potential injury should be known in the next day or so.

Losing their captain set the Rangers at a bit of a disadvantage because they lacked the strong defensive McDonagh and were forced to alternate just five defensemen, including Klein who was back in the line up but was already playing through his injured thumb.

 

Lindberg’s First Fight

Lindberg notched the first fight of his NHL career when he dropped the gloves with Flyers forward Matt Read.  The fight was prompted after Lindberg came into contact and knocked over Flyer Scott Laughton.

In Laughton’s defense Read came to Lindberg, in which the gloves were dropped. Prior to the fight Laughton was trying to pick a fight with Lindberg and fellow Ranger Viktor Stalberg by the net. Laughton had tripped the two Rangers, causing Lindberg to eventually defend himself later on, through the fight.

While the end result was a Flyers power play (Lindberg and Read in the box for fighting and Kevin Hayes sitting in the box for Lindberg’s additional cross-checking call), it was Lindberg’s first fight, and it wasn’t necessarily a loss.

 

Yandle Saves the Game

With all the Yandle trade talk that has been going on there have been many eyes on Yandle’s play. Whether it be why he’s playing well, why he hasn’t, or any shade in between. This was a play by Yandle in which fans were eager for the d-man to remain a Ranger.

At the end of regulation the Rangers were down 2-1 and were giving their all to tie the game. With Lundqvist to the bench in exchange for a sixth skater the Rangers were risking  an empty netter in an event they could tie the game.

There was a frenzy around the net with all players taking shots. Then, with only 12.9 seconds left before the end of the game and with the hope of tying the game dying out, Yandle fires a slap shot to the net, beating Flyers goalie Steve Mason, and tying up the game.

 

The Rangers celebrated the tie up and went to overtime. Overtime timed out without a winner, which sent both teams to a shoot out in which the Rangers came up strong with two goals by Zuccarello and Stepan.

 

Thoughts

The Rangers and Flyers faced off in an eventful game. A game that was so hectic and frantic in nature that two players, who are not inclined to fight, dropped the gloves in a small contest. Tensions were already high following the altercation between Simmonds and McDonagh, and remained stagnant.

Throughout the game it was leaning towards the Flyers coming out on top; the Rangers weren’t putting forward their best play and weren’t getting as many chances as they would have liked.

In the end, the Rangers put stronger play to good use but they’ll still need to up their play if they want to keep winning. The team is still without Nash, and while Klein has returned to the lineup he is still playing through his thumb injury. Now, there is only waiting to see what kind of condition McDonagh is in after the hit, hopefully he is in good fitness and will return to play.

Regardless, the Rangers left the game with a much-needed win, and the team and the management were all grins as the left the ice. The Rangers will take the ice again back in Madison Square Garden on Monday night against the Devils, a rematch since their loss to the Devils earlier in the week.