On Saturday afternoon, the Rangers held off the Flyers literally to tie the franchise record winning streak at 10 games. In what amounted to a hard-nosed game that included a popcorn fight between Matt Rempe and Nicolas Deslauriers, they were able to skate past the Flyers 2-1 in Philadelphia.

After going toe to toe with one of the league’s best enforcers, Rempe had an eventful day. The 21-year-old rookie made the most of his nine shifts. In 5:19 of ice time, he had three shots-on-goal, six attempts, and two hits while even winning a faceoff. A rarity for the Blueshirts, who were dominated by the Flyers on draws, losing 38 of 60.

With the Rangers clinging to a 1-0 lead that Alexis Lafreniere supplied them midway through the second period, they were on their heels in the third period. It was the more aggressive Flyers who carried the play. They kept coming until Scott Laughton set up Tyson Foerster for the tying goal with 17:24 remaining.

Despite being largely outplayed, the Rangers were able to go back ahead less than four minutes later. On a strong forechecking shift from the fourth line that includes Rempe and Adam Edstrom, Braden Schneider took a shot that Barclay Goodrow got a piece of. As it went towards the net, the puck took a bounce off the skate of Rempe to sneak past Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson.

When he got back to the Rangers bench, Rempe was greeted with high fives and grins from happy teammates. In only a short time, he’s become a fan favorite by using his six-foot seven, 241-pound frame to deliver big hits and take on all comers.

Originally, the goal was credited to Goodrow. However, conclusive replays clearly indicated that it was Rempe who scored what proved to be the game-winner. It was a well-deserved reward for a young player who’s added some much needed physicality to the roster. Along with Edstrom, the fourth lime has a totally different look. It’s one that’s provided energy during their shifts.

In a game where there wasn’t much operating room for the Rangers’ best players, it was the grit of the checking line that made the difference. Along with Igor Shesterkin, who stopped 39 of 40 shots to earn the game’s third star, that’s why the Rangers came out victorious.

Shesterkin stayed sharp by turning aside all 18 Flyers’ shots in a busy first period. The Rangers had trouble with Philadelphia’s tenacious style. They won more puck battles and generated quality scoring chances. However, Shesterkin continued to stay locked in. He’s stopped 119 of 122 shots over the last three games. He’s now won six straight decisions. A marked difference from his struggles in January.

The turnaround has allowed him to improve his goals-against-average (GAA) to 2.70 and save percentage to .909. When he’s dialed in, the 28-year-old is one of the league’s best goalies. He’s flipped the switch during the Rangers’ undefeated February.

They improved to a perfect 9-0. The remaining games are a home-and-home series against the Blue Jackets. The first one is tomorrow night in Columbus at 6 EST. The return match is next Wednesday, Feb. 28 at Madison Square Garden.

One area that the Rangers struggled with was the power play. Facing one of the league’s best penalty killing units, they found it tough to get anything done. The Flyers took away the blue line and attacked the Rangers’ top unit at every turn. The puck pressure caused havoc. They forced some turnovers to create  shorthanded opportunities.

None were bigger than a two on none with the game hanging in the balance. Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim led a rush following an Adam Fox turnover. He opted to go in alone and take the shot. But Shesterkin foiled his backhand deke to keep the Rangers ahead 2-1 in the final period. It was his biggest save of the game.

After a lackluster first that saw them outshot 18-9, the Rangers picked it up in a more inspired second. Although it lacked much excitement, it was more defensive minded. Probably something Rangers coach Peter Laviolette emphasized between periods. He couldn’t have been pleased with giving up 18 shots.

For a while, nothing happened. Ersson made a few saves to keep the game scoreless. The Rangers were unable to take advantage of a pair of power plays. They accomplished little on a Joel Farabee high-sticking minor on Fox. Instead, the Flyers were aggressive and took everything away.

Nearly nine minutes into the period, K’Andre Miller got caught by Garnet Hathaway up high. The Rangers defenseman fell to the ice in pain. The refs called Hathaway for a high-sticking double minor. On the play, he swung his stick at a puck in midair but missed. Instead, he caught Miller. After reviewing it to see if it was a follow-through, they got it right. They upheld the four-minute penalty on Hathaway.

Unfortunately, the Rangers continued to force the action. It didn’t work. A poorly timed back pass put Artemi Panarin in a tough position. With the Flyers looking for a shorthanded chance, Panarin grabbed hold of Cam Atkinson to prevent anything. It was the second game in a row he was forced to take a penalty due to a mistake by a teammate.

That led to a four-on-four. Similar to Thursday night’s win over the Devils, it was a good omen. In another irony, it was Lafreniere who scored during it. This time, on a play in transition started by Miller, Lafreniere took a Vincent Trocheck pass and fooled Ersson by shooting between a defenseman. That seemed to throw him off. The shot went through Ersson, giving Lafreniere his 17th goal of the season. That’s three goals over the last two games.

When the Flyers were on the remainder of the power play, they found it tough. Playing without leading scorer Travis Konecny, it was obvious how much they missed him. They don’t have a lot of offense.

The only player who was a factor was Owen Tippett. He was dangerous throughout. A power forward with 21 goals, Tippett had a game high 10 shots-on-goal. He also missed a few wide. Along with 2023 first round pick, Matvei Michkov, Tippett has a bright future. He continues to show improvement.

Early in the third, the Flyers drew even thanks to some hustle from Laughton. A player who’s been rumored to be on the block, he retrieved a Sanheim wide shot behind the Rangers’ net and made a diving centering feed that Foester deposited to make it 1-1.

But all it took was one determined shift by the Rangers’ fourth line to go back ahead. When Schneider fired a wrist shot, Goodrow redirected it before the puck banked off Rempe, who was parked in front of Ersson. From his reaction, he knew it was his goal.

So did ESPN. Their replays showed that the puck went off Rempe’s skate for his first career goal. It was quite a moment. Even if it took a while for them to change the scoring, it’s a game Rempe won’t soon forget. Fittingly, he was selected as the game’s first star.

From that point, Shesterkin did the rest. He made 17 saves in the third to allow the Rangers to tie the franchise record for most consecutive wins (10) during a season. Before they could celebrate the victory, Flyers captain Sean Couturier had a wide open net with three seconds to go. But his backhand went off the goalpost and wide. It was a close call.

The 2023-24 Rangers join the 1939-40 and 1972-73 Rangers in the history books. Can this year’s team break the record on Sunday night? Stay tuned.