It was a good Thanksgiving for the New York Rangers. The day after enjoying the American holiday, they had enough left to earn a 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 24.

Less than two days removed from a 1-0 shutout over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 22, the Rangers got a big game from their top line. After showing some signs on Wednesday night, the top line came to life in Friday’s win at the Flyers.

They were responsible for all three Rangers’ goals. It was the kind of game they needed from Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, and Blake Wheeler. The trio followed up a good game with an even better one to ruin the Flyers’ Black Friday.

Zibanejad Erases Eight-Game Goal Drought

Entering play, Zibanejad had only two goals in the Rangers’ first 17 games. However, he turned it around in a big way by scoring twice versus the Flyers. He erased an eight-game goal drought less than a minute into the contest.

On a Kreider outlet up for Wheeler, he came into the Flyers’ zone with speed. Despite being defended well, he was still able to get a nice pass around a Flyer in front for a sweet Zibanejad finish that made it 1-0 at the 45-second mark.

It was some excellent teamwork from all three forwards on the scoring play. Kreider started it with a smart defensive read that allowed Wheeler to cruise in and set up Zibanejad for the game’s first goal. It was his first goal since Oct. 30. Having also picked up the only assist on Alexis Lafreniere’s breakaway goal on Nov. 22, that gave Zibanejad points in consecutive games.

Kreider gets a Thanksgiving Gift

The holiday treated Kreider well. He got a Thanksgiving gift for his team-leading 11th goal to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead before two minutes elapsed.

On a faceoff won by the Flyers, defenseman Travis Sanheim made a bugaboo by passing the puck right in front of his own net. Kreider easily intercepted Sanheim’s pass and fired a quick shot by a helpless Carter Hart for the Rangers’ second goal over 68 seconds.

The goal was the 277th of his career. Currently, Kreider ranks fourth on the Rangers’ all-time franchise goal scoring list. He trails Adam Graves by three goals for third all-time.

A bit later in the game, he had an apparent shorthanded goal overturned due to a successful coach’s challenge by the Flyers’ John Tortorella.

Cuylle Defends Lindgren

Following the Kreider goal that put the Rangers ahead by two, the Flyers started to play chippy. In particular, bruising forward, Garnet Hathaway was finishing checks. One of those hits later in the first period led to Will Cuylle defending Ryan Lindgren. Before that occurred, there were some fireworks.

On one sequence, Hathaway just missed Rangers’ captain Jacob Trouba. Trouba declined a challenge from Flyers’ tough guy Nicolas Deslauriers. Barclay Goodrow got into a brief skirmish with Hathaway that saw each receive five minutes for fighting. Rangers coach Peter Laviolette voiced his displeasure at the refs, feeling that Hathaway started it. He had a good point.

Following a successful penalty kill of a Wheeler tripping minor, Hathaway caught a leaning Lindgren with a clean hit against the boards. With the Rangers’ warrior down, Cuylle responded immediately by going after Hathaway. The fight was mostly a wrestling match with 2:41 left in the first period.

Since Cuylle jumped in, he received two minutes for instigating and misconduct that kept him out past the halfway point of the game. Hathaway got five for fighting to give the Flyers a power play. Unlike their first one, they couldn’t generate anything. The Rangers did a good job killing off the penalty to take a two-goal lead to the locker room.

Wheeler sets up Zibanejad Again

A few minutes after killing another penalty – this time on K’Andre Miller – Wheeler set up Zibanejad again to give the Rangers a three-goal lead at 7:41 of the second period.

Taking a lead pass from Erik Gustafsson, Zibanejad moved the puck to Wheeler. After entering the Flyers’ zone, he used his speed to create a two-on-one. He waited before making a perfect pass across for a cutting Zibanejad, who tipped in the puck with one hand for his second of the game. It was an outstanding play by two skilled players.

Wheeler picked up his second assist of the game. It was his first multi-point game as a Ranger this season. He’s quietly been playing better. The hard work finally paid off.

Shesterkin Has a Strong Game

After getting the last game off, Igor Shesterkin was back in the Rangers’ net against the Flyers. He had a strong game, finishing with 36 saves on 37 shots.

That included some stellar work when the Rangers were shorthanded. He made 13 saves on six Flyers’ power plays. A few were high quality to keep them off the scoreboard.

Shesterkin made a couple of tough stops on Flyers’ captain Sean Couturier. Eventually, he did find a way to score by tipping in a Nick Seeler shot that cut the Rangers’ lead to 3-1 with 2:41 remaining in the second. That set up an interesting third period.

In it, it was the brilliant play of Shesterkin that prevented the Flyers from drawing any closer. He stopped all 14 shots in a busy period to pick up his eighth win of the season. With another 1 PM game on Saturday, Nov. 25 versus the Bruins, it’s that kind of goaltending the Rangers will need to be victorious in Boston.

Assuming Laviolette goes back to him, his performance in the Rangers’ win over the Flyers should provide a confidence booster.

The Fourth Line Contributes in Win

Throughout Friday afternoon’s game, the Rangers got plenty of contributions out of the fourth line in the win.

When they weren’t helping kill penalties, the trio of Goodrow, Jimmy Vesey, and Tyler Pitlick were effective on the forecheck. They spent quite a few shifts keeping the puck inside the Flyers’ zone. That led to collective groans from the Philadelphia crowd.

That line provided good energy during their shifts. Both Vesey and Pitlick had scoring chances. Alexis Lafreniere sent Vesey in for a rocket that went over the top. Pitlick later snuck in and was turned away by Hart.

Goodrow provided strong work defensively. He logged 5:53 shorthanded and 15:19 overall. He also won 3 of 5 faceoffs. Although he doesn’t have many points, Goodrow has picked up his play. Since shifting to center, he’s been more noticeable. Whether it’s winning a key draw or blocking a shot, he’s done it.

Panarin Empty for Third Straight Game

After a hot start by setting a new franchise record with a 15-game point streak to begin the season, Artemi Panarin was empty for the third straight game. However, that’s no reason to panic.

He’s still been very active over the last two games. They’re just not going in for him or linemates, Lafreniere and Vincent Trocheck. Lafreniere made two nice passes that created scoring chances. On one, Hart made a great stop to deny Trocheck of a goal. It’s gonna happen.

That line has carried the Rangers up to this point. It’s encouraging to see other key players step up. With Zibanejad finally looking more like himself, that bodes well for the team.

Rangers Conclude November

The Rangers host the Boston Bruins on Saturday afternoon. They conclude November by returning home for a game against the Sabres on Tuesday, Nov. 27.

They can finish the month with only one less in regulation. Their record is 6-1-1 in November, including an impress 5-1-1 without Adam Fox. He’s getting closer to returning.

The Rangers remain atop the Metropolitan Division with a 14-3-1 record. There’s a lot to like about where they are. It’s been a good start to the season.