Battle Of Hudson

Entering their first round series versus the Flyers, the Rangers had one distinct advantage. It wasn’t in net. It was superior depth. In eliminating their old Patrick rival, they did it by getting strong support. Everyone chipped in.

Astonishingly, they overcame no points from Ryan McDonagh and no goals from Rick Nash. Something that can’t be repeated when the second round begins tomorrow night against the Penguins. All season, Alain Vigneault preached rolling four lines. That gave his team an edge in the seven-game ouster of the Flyers. No Ranger scored more than two goals. Similar to their regular season success, they boasted balance. Eight different players had two goals. That ranged from Martin St. Louis, Mats Zuccarello and Brad Richards to unsung heroes Dominic Moore and Daniel Carcillo.

It wasn’t limited to goal production. In two appearances, J.T. Miller registered two assists. Jesper Fast also recorded a helper in the first two games. Every button Vigneault pushed worked. His wisest move was reinserting Carcillo for Game 7. The gritty agitator did in his former team scoring the Rangers’ first goal on a brilliant feed from Zuccarello. Similar to the season when Glen Sather acquired him from the Kings, he was an x-factor. Carcillo has been an effective player who brings energy. On a team that isn’t known for physicality, he’s brought a similar element that Sean Avery did. As long as he stays disciplined, I’d play him.

Brian Boyle also stepped up. When the playoffs start, he becomes a different player. Sure. He’s not going to blow you away with his skating or shot selection. But another former King who’s been an integral part of the Rangers success is someone they can always count on. From his diligent penalty killing and checking, Boyle has been a good soldier. Ever since Vigneault teamed him with Moore and Derek Dorsett, the fourth line has been vital. The chemistry they have is good enough for Vigneault to trust them. There’s never been any hesitation to send them out 5 on 5 against a scoring line. It’s no shock that Boyle contributed a goal and two assists with 22 hits and a message sending scrap against Adam Hall in Game 6.

The Rangers were lead in scoring by Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis. Both had six points (2-4-6). Five players had four points including Benoit Pouliot, Derek Stepan, Carl Hagelin, Zuccarello and Nash. Derick Brassard had two assists including a beautiful set up for Pouliot’s clincher. He’ll need better production next round.

Dan Girardi paced the blueline with three points. They didn’t get much offense from the back end with McDonagh struggling. However, the quartet of McDonagh, Girardi, Marc Staal and Anton Stralman were instrumental in their 2-1 Game 7 series clincher. The edge they played with was something the Flyers lacked on a weaker back end. Having two top defensive pairs who can be counted on to log big minutes is the Rangers’ biggest edge. With Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, James Neal and Jussi Jokinen on the horizon, that’ll get tested.

Another Sather pick up Kevin Klein quietly flew under the radar. The defensive defenseman was acquired from Nashville for Michael Del Zotto. While he’s not flashy, Klein is a solid stay at home D who gets the job done. Against the Flyers, he finished plus-five and contributed an assist last night. He and partner John Moore didn’t receive much ice-time in the third. But they didn’t make any glaring mistakes. Exactly what you want out of a third pair.

When assessing their chances, the Rangers are a deeper team than 2012. Of course, that one under now fired ex-Canucks coach John Tortorella grinded their way to seven-game victories over Ottawa and Washington. They’re still what Vigneault’s roster are being measured against. Facing the Pens is a big challenge. Crosby had the same amount of goals as Nash in their series win over the Blue Jackets. He’s due. Malkin snapped out of it with a hat trick in the clincher.

While it’s easy to focus on the Pens’ talent edge, the Rangers boast a strong skating team with superb depth. We still don’t know if Chris Kreider will return. That they were able to overcome his loss to defeat the Flyers speaks volumes. If this were the last couple of Springs, that wouldn’t have been the case. Thanks to a strong season from Sather, Vigneault has better options. At some point, they’ll probably need Kreider. The overall depth is nothing to sniff at.

The second round schedule is out. For the first time in six years, the Rangers will face the Penguins. Ironically, it’s a second round rematch. In ’08, Pittsburgh eliminated New York in five games. The Rangers have never defeated the Penguins in series history. Starting Friday at Console Energy Center, they’ll look to change that.

The biggest obstacle will be an odd back-to-back spanning Games 2 and 3. After getting the traditional day off, the Rangers and Penguins will do battle for Game 2 Sunday night at 7:30 EST. Due to NBCSN, the two teams will travel to New York for Game 3 Monday, May 5 at MSG. Obviously, it’s frustrating if you’re a Ranger fan. But it’s the same for each side.

Here’s the complete seven-game Eastern Conference Semifinal schedule:

Friday 5/2 Rangers @ Penguins 7:30 EST NBCSN/CBC

Sunday 5/4 Rangers @ Penguins 7:30 EST NBCSN/CBC

Monday 5/5 Penguins @ Rangers 7:30 EST NBCSN/CBC

Wednesday 5/7 Penguins @ Rangers 7:30 EST NBCSN/CBC

*Friday 5/9 Rangers @ Penguins TBD CBC

*Sunday 5/11 Penguins @ Rangers TBD CBC

*Tuesday 5/13 Rangers @ Penguins TBD CBC

*if necessary

Pouliot’s Revenge: Benoit Pouliot scored the series clincher highlighting the Rangers 2-1 Game 7 win over the Flyers to advance to a second round match up against the Penguins.
Associated Press

Nothing ever comes easy with this team. Once again, the Rangers gave every fan a panic attack. In the end, the battle tested team came out on top eliminating the Flyers 2-1 in a riveting Game 7 at a raucous MSG. Basically, they hung on by the skin of their teeth. It doesn’t matter. What does is they became the first team in NHL history to advance past the first round by winning Game 7. Next up are the Penguins.

It was every bit as intense as the final score suggests. If the first six games didn’t do the rivalry justice, tonight did. For the first time all series, neither side scored after one. Neither goalie flinched. Steve Mason (10 saves) and Henrik Lundqvist (11 saves) each did their part. Predictably, the Rangers power play failed in one chance. Essentially, they advanced despite the power outage finishing 0 for the last 21.

After a tightly contested first, the Rangers seized control by playing a dominant second. They outscored the Flyers 2-0 and outshot them by a healthy 18-5 margin that was every bit as indicative of how lopsided the period was. Following an easy kill of a bench minor served by Daniel Carcillo, a great shift resulted in the game’s first goal. Ironically, Carcillo got it after coming out of the box. Kevin Klein kept the play alive with a pinch getting the puck to Mats Zuccarello. The diminutive crowd favorite didn’t disappoint sending a breathtaking saucer backhand pass across for Carcillo who buried his second at 3:06.

With the Garden alive, the Rangers were all over the Flyers. The entire period was spent in the Philadelphia zone. So dominant were they that the Flyers couldn’t get out of their end. It was the kind of puck possession that translated into results. They only were able to beat Mason twice. Mason’s play was brilliant. He turned away attacking Blueshirts time and again including Rick Nash. Heavily criticized throughout, Nash played a whale of a game. For once, he played like a power forward registering a team high five shots, attempting 10 while delivering five hits and making some key plays defensively. This was by far his best game given the circumstance. Perhaps a positive to take into the second round beginning Friday.

A dubious goalie interference call on Game 6 goat Benoit Pouliot only turned MSG into a hostile environment. Replays clearly showed that he was shoved into Mason by Kimmo Timonen. A flabbergasted Dave Maloney asked the question on most people’s minds. Where was he supposed to go? It didn’t matter. A determined scrappy bunch of Blueshirts wouldn’t allow it. The Flyers couldn’t get anything done on the power play. So dominant was the Ranger penalty kill that they didn’t permit a Flyer shot. Instead, the gritty play of Anton Stralman typified a yeoman effort. The overlooked defenseman gave up his body blocking consecutive shots. As a team, the Rangers blocked 22. They sacrificed.

Mats Zuccarello mobs Derick Brassard following his set up for Benoit Pouliot.
Associated Press

As fate would have it, Pouliot scored the series clincher 3:11 after serving his tainted penalty. On yet another sustained forecheck, Stralman kept a play alive chipping the puck down to Derick Brassard. Brassard circled around before threading the needle for a cutting Pouliot for a sweet finish that made it 2-0 at 11:46. Just a brilliant feed from a player who’s struggled to produce. Since January, Brassard has formed great chemistry with Pouliot and Zuccarello. When they were needed most, they delivered. Pouliot’s second was his first since Game 2.

With MSG bedlam, they came at Mason in swarms. Every time they were on the verge of blowing it open, an acrobatic Mason stood on his head to keep the Flyers alive. There were back-to-back stone jobs on Derek Stepan. Off a Nash set up, Stepan came around the net and had room but a sprawling Mason denied his wrap try and then stuck his glove out to get the rebound. He thwarted Brian Boyle and later robbed Carl Hagelin in the final minute keeping the Rangers up by only two. In total, Mason stopped 16 of 18 in a hectic second. He was heroic in defeat finishing with 31 saves.

Despite being dominated, the Flyers only trailed by two with one period left. When Jason Akeson got a favorable carom of his own shot and surprised Henrik Lundqvist by going far side at 4:32 of the third, they were very much alive. Braydon Coburn and Matt Read picked up helpers. Suddenly, the Garden was on pins and needles. The Flyers came and came. Claude Giroux had a dominant shift that nearly resulted in the tying goal. A period earlier, he blew a glorious chance in which he had Lundqvist dead to rights. But a sliding Stralman might’ve distracted him. He fired over the net.

In a game where Alain Vigneault leaned heavily on his top four defensemen, it was the play of Stralman and partner Marc Staal that stood out. Each saw as many minutes as Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi. The Rangers top pair bounced back from a brutal performance. They were physical combining for seven hits and nine blocked shots. In a chaotic third, that was a big part of the story. Staal and Stralman also had seven hits and seven blocks. If you total it up, the top four combined for 14 hits and 16 of the team’s 22 blocked shots.

When the Rangers weren’t diving in the path of Flyer attempts, Lundqvist was keeping them at bay. If he took some criticism for being pulled in Game 6, he more than made up for it. A busy third saw him stop 10 of 11 shots with several of the tricky variety. Every shot was tough with even odd bounces like one of Giroux’s offerings calmly gloved out of harm’s way by Lundqvist. The Flyers spent most of the third in the Rangers’ end. It literally felt like an extended power play. That’s how difficult a time the Rangers had clearing the zone. They didn’t register a shot the first half of the period.

It wasn’t until Nash had a big shift that they stemmed the tide. A very active shift resulted in rare attack time. A second strong shift from the Zuccarello line resulted in another chance which Mason stopped with eight and a half minutes left. The remainder of the period was the Rangers taking away the neutral zone and getting the puck in deep. Everyone made a concerted defensive effort to limit the Flyers touches.

They iced the puck an awful lot. However, their centers came through with critical wins in the defensive end. That included crucial ones from Brassard, Stepan and the fourth line combo of Brian Boyle and Dominic Moore. In particular, Brassard (8 for 11) and Moore (11 for 20) were huge. Against a good faceoff club possessing Giroux (16 and 16), Brayden Schenn (10 and 6) and Sean Couturier (5 and 9), that was pivotal. The Rangers aren’t a great faceoff team but they more than held their own edging the Flyers 35-33.

A couple of strong defensive shifts forced Flyers coach Craig Berube to wait until about the 1:20 mark to pull Mason. The Flyers finally got the puck in deep. But a disciplined Blueshirts prevented them from really threatening. A final clear saw a hustling Zuccarello outrace a Flyer to a loose puck with 2.7 seconds left. However, the refs mistakenly called it icing before correcting themselves. That put the final draw at center ice allowing the Rangers to skate off with a hard fought series victory.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Brassard–Pouliot–Zuccarello, NYR (1-2-3 incl. Pouliot’s series winner, +5 rating-could’ve given it to any of the top 4 D but they were the impact line.)

2nd Star-Daniel Carcillo, NYR (goal-2nd of series, 2 SOG in 11:32-what a pick up by Slats)

1st Star-Steve Mason, Phi (31 saves incl. 16/18 in 2nd-hard to give a Flyer top star. But he earned it.)

Rick Nash scored his only postseason goal against the Bruins last year. The pressure is on him and the Rangers top players in Game 7 tonight.

It’s officially a pressure cooker tonight. Everything comes to a standstill. On a big day of three Game 7’s to conclude the first round, the Rangers host the Flyers at what should be a chaotic MSG. The newly renovated building isn’t as loud. But with it all on the line, that won’t be a problem. The issue for the Rangers is whether they can feed off the emotion and repeat history. They’ve never lost a Game 7 on home ice.

There’s plenty of experience from the last three series clinchers which included a seventh game rout of the Capitals in D.C. Over the last two years, they’ve gone the distance ousting the Senators, Capitals and again those same Caps. Nine players experienced all three wins. Henrik Lundqvist, Ryan McDonagh, Dan Girardi, Marc Staal, Anton Stralman, Derek Stepan, Brad Richards, Carl Hagelin and Brian Boyle. Including last year, you can add Derick Brassard, Rick Nash, John Moore, Derek Dorsett and Mats Zuccarello. That’s 14 Blueshirts. Chris Kreider is injured. Martin St. Louis won Game 7 over the Flyers in ’04 en route to a Stanley Cup with the Lightning. Also won in seven.

What’s at stake is their livelihood. When the puck drops, you can toss out all the fancy statistics. If you went strictly on puck possession for Game 6, the Rangers prevailed. Unfortunately, they wasted a good first period by not scoring. Benoit Pouliot’s holding minor was the turning point. It was a miserable performance by Girardi and McDonagh, who were the main culprits on Wayne Simmonds’ hat trick. They can’t have a repeat. Neither can Lundqvist, whose baffling indecision lead to Flyer sub Erik Gustafsson scoring a crucial third goal that followed a Steve Mason glove stop on Pouliot.

Alain Vigneault stated that whoever’s top players perform well will prevail. That means getting anything out of Nash. It’s ugly. He remains without a goal in six and has only 1 in 18 postseason games as a Ranger. When asked about it, to summarize he said he’s trying his best. That doesn’t cut it. Fans don’t want to hear that. They want a guy Glen Sather sacrificed Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov for to go out and produce. Nash spent the majority of Tuesday in the Flyers’ zone. He has four assists. They came in the first three games. That must change.

McDonagh is without a point in the series. One of the best defensemen in the game, he clearly isn’t himself. He missed the final five games of the regular season after sustaining a left shoulder injury. The Rangers have looked to him for offense from the blue line. In six games, he has nine shots and is minus-two. How bad has his slump been? Vigneault replaced him and Girardi with Moore and Klein in the offensive zone trying the third pair with the top line. Truth be told, it made no sense.

Off such a quick turnaround, will the Flyers ride the momentum into a Game 7 upset? After securing a 4-0 cushion, they banged around the Rangers. Afterwards, Simmonds told Pierre McGuire that they had to continue grinding them down and playing physical. He seemed pretty confident. Why not? Since Mason returned as the starter, they’ve taken two of three with the Flyer number one delivering clutch saves in both wins.

Prior to the series, we emphasized special teams. I gave the Flyers the edge because they count on their power play to score. In their three wins, that’s held true netting five power play goals. While they have done their part, the Rangers man-advantage has failed miserably. Since producing a pair of PPG’s in a Game 1 win and one in a Game 2 loss, they’ve been shutdown. Dating back to the conclusion of the second game, they’re 0 for 20. For the series, they’re 3 for 28. It’s the same old script. The Flyers have gotten away with taking bad penalties while making the most of their opportunities. If the Rangers are to prevail, they must stay disciplined and take advantage.

Obviously, one of the biggest stories is Mason. For whatever reason, he raises his level against the Rangers. Entering the series, he brought a 4-1-1 record with a 2.49 GAA and .928 save percentage versus them. In three starts, he’s 2-1 with a 1.95 GAA and .939 save percentage. Interestingly, Mason has never won at MSG. He enters o-2-1 with a 3.85 GAA in four career outings. He’s outplayed Lundqvist, who hasn’t had to be great yet. After giving up four on 23 shots, he was pulled. Lundqvist enters with a 2.31 GAA and .910 save percentage. He usually turns it up in Game 7. The last three are all wins including nail biters over Ottawa and Washington in 2012 plus a shutout of the Caps last year.

In what’s been an unpredictable series with no rhyme or rhythm to each game, it’s hard to predict what will happen. The Rangers have gotten large contributions from their fourth line. Ironically, Dominic Moore was nominated for the Masterton and deserves to win it. He and Brian Boyle have been instrumental in two of three wins. The one thing they have going is four lines. However, you have to think logic will finally prevail. The pressure is on the Rangers’ best players to deliver. If they don’t, it’ll be a long offseason.

Simmonds Magic: Flyer Wayne Simmonds played the Game 6 hero in their 5-2 win over the Rangers forcing Game 7 tomorrow at MSG.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola

How to sum up the Rangers’ effort tonight? It was pathetic. With a chance to wrap up the first round series, they embarrassed themselves. This was unacceptable. Full credit to the Flyers who scored the first four on Henrik Lundqvist en route to a 5-2 Game 6 laugher- forcing a deciding seventh game tomorrow at MSG.

Simply put, the Rangers failed miserably extending the loathsome NHL record losing streak to 12 when leading a series. It’s absolutely mystifying. They started out well enough carrying the play until the latest undisciplined Benoit Pouliot offensive zone penalty. But for all the zone time they had after careless Flyer turnovers, not once did a Ranger get one past Steve Mason. Instead, they turned him into Bernie Parent. Since taking over for Ray Emery, Mason has outplayed Lundqvist twice. He finished with 34 saves blanking them until Carl Hagelin broke the shutout with 6:34 left. Mats Zuccarello added another in garbage time.

If Mason was the hero in net, Wayne Simmonds was the offensive star recording a hat trick. The pesky Flyers’ power forward did it all. He tallied twice on the power play and also notched one five on five while also getting into it with Zuccarello following his goal in the final minute. Simmonds was everywhere. Flyer coach Craig Berube made a great adjustment sticking Brayden Schenn between Simmonds and Scott Hartnell. That move along with inserting defenseman Erik Gustafsson for Hal Gill looked like genius. Gustafsson beat Lundqvist on a breakaway after coming out of the penalty box.

It was that kind of night for the Blueshirts. They were terrible. Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi stunk. For a sixth consecutive game, McDonagh failed to register a point and was on with Girardi for Simmonds’ first two goals. That included a back breaking Simmonds tally that increased the Flyers’ lead to 2-0 at 1:32 of the second. A terrible misplay that allowed Schenn to come in on Lundqvist and fan on a shot that went directly to Simmonds for an easy finish while McDonagh watched.

After wasting a good first despite the shots being even (13-13), the Rangers mailed in the second. They didn’t have strong support and were taken off their game. To be honest, I said if they allowed the Flyers to escape the first up, it would give them a big psychological lift. That’s exactly how it played out. Despite the usual march to the penalty box, the Rangers again couldn’t take advantage failing in five chances. That makes them 0 for the last four games. Meanwhile, Philadelphia again won the special teams battle going 2 for 3 on the power play. In their three wins, they’ve scored five PPG’s.

The game for all intensive purposes ended when the Rangers failed miserably on their third power play. Trailing by two, they couldn’t get anything accomplished. Again, the Flyers aggressive penalty kill kept them bottled up. There are just way too many mistakes. The Flyers have continued to take away the blue line. Like a broken record, there have been zero adjustments. This despite the improvement under assistant Scott Arniel. They scored three PPG’s in the first two games but nothing since. That falls on the coaching staff which includes Alain Vigneault. Speaking of having miserable nights, he picked an inopportune time getting outcoached by Berube.

Following a Ranger folly, Braydon Coburn sent Gustafsson on a break which Lundqvist bungled. First, he challenged and then went back in his net making it an easy one for the Flyers’ eighth defenseman. He needed to make the save there. Instead, he retreated and got burned. As soon as Gustafsson made it 3-0, Vigneault should’ve used his timeout. With Wells Fargo Center going crazy, he didn’t. He never does. That might work in the regular season. But in a playoff series you’re trying to close, he needed to half the Flyer momentum. He also left Lundqvist in to give up Simmonds’ hat trick 62 seconds later. Another fiasco. Vigneault finally took him out after the second. Cam Talbot came on in relief and stopped five shots.

Here’s an ugly stat for Lundqvist. In the last 12 games when his team has lead a playoff series, he’s now 0-12. Entering, the last 11 losses included a 3.32 GAA and .877 save percentage. Sure to go up following permitting four goals on 23 shots before being lifted. Only one goal was his fault. Aside from that, he was left out to dry. It’s hard to pin it all on him. Not when so many teammates were subpar. Especially the top pair of McDonagh and birthday boy Girardi, who had their worst performance. There was the ghost of Rick Nash again failing to bury a point blank opportunity past Mason. The Nash storyline has gotten old. He’s now 0 for 6 in the series and has just 1 goal in his first 18 postseason games as a Blueshirt.

Brad Richards was probably their best offensive player. He’s been firing shots from everywhere and creating chances. With an assist tonight, his six points are tied for first with Martin St. Louis (2-4-6). Speaking of the top line, they haven’t scored a goal since the 4-1 win in Game 3. St. Louis and Stepan were good in Game 5 setting up Marc Staal. Either they have to step up with Nash or the Zuccarello unit with Pouliot and Derick Brassard (1 assist) need to have more of an impact. At the very least, Zuccarello got his first since Game 1. Hagelin notched his second on a great effort to finally solve Mason. Anton Stralman picked up his first point.

Mason made every clutch stop. Especially with a lightning like right catching glove. The rebounds were there to be had but no Ranger got to them. That’s an area they must improve upon if they want to advance. Somewhere between Pouliot’s minor and the second, they lost momentum. The Flyers put together a couple of good shifts at the end of the first and carried it through. They held up their end.

The end of the game wasn’t without a fight. Brian Boyle mixed it up with Adam Hall. It came with less than two minutes left. Hardly a scrapper, at least he showed frustration. Boyle also had a goal waved off when he directed a loose puck in with his glove. The fourth line was the most consistent. That can’t happen tomorrow. The last three series the Rangers have won, they’ve taken Game 7. The pressure is squarely on them to deliver at The Garden. The puck drops after 7 EST.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Claude Giroux, Phi (1-2-3 incl. empty netter in 16:19)

2nd Star-Steve Mason, Phi (34 saves incl. 13 big ones in 1st)

1st Star-Wayne Simmonds, PHI (hat trick-2nd, 3rd, 4th incl. 2 PPG’s, 12 PIM in 12:50)

Dominant: Dominic Moore celebrates his second period goal. He also set up Brian Boyle’s empty netter highlighting the Rangers 4-2 Game 5 win over the Flyers.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig

It wasn’t easy because it never is. With this team, it’s how they do things. At one point, the Rangers led by three. But anyone who’s lived and died with them knows better. They held on to defeat the Flyers 4-2 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead.

Dominic Moore’s second goal of the series was the difference. A key component of the fourth line, he also set up Brian Boyle’s empty netter that finally sealed it with 15 seconds left. Ever since Moore and Boyle were put together, they’ve been inseparable. Their penalty kill work and attention to detail was crucial. It’s no surprise that both were factors in such a big win. What is surprising is they have three more goals than Rick Nash. Enough about that.

Overall, the Rangers were the stronger team for 60 minutes. Despite a sluggish start that saw the Flyers blow a few opportunities, they were superior in skating, puck possession and defensively. They were successful in spite of ref tandem Justin St. Pierre and Brad Watson, who tried their best to aid the Philly guests. There were a number of bad calls which drew the ire of MSG. That included a phantom whistle on Carl Hagelin after he didn’t touch Claude Giroux. It didn’t matter because of the PK was tremendous. They went 4-for-5 killing off the first four Flyer power plays.

After consecutive penalty kills of two Hagelin minors, the top line went to work. Derek Stepan got it started. He found Martin St. Louis, who backed up the Flyer defense and then made a nice drop for Marc Staal, whose wrist shot from the left circle eluded Steve Mason. His first of the series allowed the Blueshirts to go ahead at 11:53. One of the keys to a win was having one of their top defensemen contribute offensively. Staal picked a great time to deliver energizing the team.

The Rangers were unable to build upon it even though Vincent Lecavalier took a holding minor off the center ice draw. For a third consecutive game, the power play was a non-factor going 0-for-3. They’re 0 for their last 15. With a chance to close out the Flyers Tuesday at Wells Fargo Center, that ugly stat must change. What doesn’t is the brilliant play of Henrik Lundqvist. Sharp throughout, he made some critical stops prior to Staal’s goal and delivered a consistent performance finishing with 24 saves. He didn’t have to stand on his head but Hank was there when needed.

After a somewhat odd first period that saw them only muster six shots, the Rangers were sharper in the second. Harder on the puck, they began carrying the puck over the Flyers blue line with speed. Taking advantage of some turnovers, they created better chances. However, it was a Flyer near miss that led to the second goal. Craig Berube was forced to insert 39-year old veteran Hal Gill for the injured Niklas Grossmann. Only having played six games during the season, the big man had a glorious opportunity to tie it but missed from the slot.

The Rangers quickly transitioned the opposite way. With Scott Hartnell down behind the play, it allowed them to have a five on four. Alain Vigneault inserted J.T. Miller into the lineup for Daniel Carcillo. A gutsy move that worked. On the shift, he went to the net. After missing a set up, Miller forced Mason into a rebound which caromed right to Brad Richards, who sent home a backhand for his second increasing to 2-0 at 8:07. Hagelin did the grunt work behind the net picking up the secondary assist. Richards has been tremendous firing shots from everywhere. He’s been one of the team’s best players.

Leading by two, the Rangers had a pair of calls go against them. First, Kevin Klein was sent off for a mysterious unsportsmanlike conduct. I’m not even sure Sherlock Holmes could find it. Nevertheless, an aggressive penalty kill made quick work of the Flyer power play. They really did a superb job attacking the Flyers never letting them set up. In particular, Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh stood out. As they have during the series, each had a defensive impact. The work of Staal and Anton Stralman was also strong.

Matt Read took a bad roughing minor that put the Rangers on their third man-advantage. After doing nothing on the first two, they had the misfortune of St. Pierre blowing the whistle too quickly that wiped out a goal. The play in question was on a Nash deflection that Mason stopped. However, the puck was never covered. Just as St. Louis tucked in a backhand, the whistle blew. Replays showed that St. Pierre wasn’t in the right position and couldn’t have seen it. A big break for the Flyers.

About the only penalty I agreed with was Hagelin’s third of the day. He hooked down Scott Hartnell preventing a goal. It was a smart penalty that allowed Lundqvist and the Rangers to make it four for four. Not long after, Moore victimized Gill for the Rangers’ third goal. Unable to retrieve a pass in his skates from partner Braydon Coburn, he lost the puck to Moore, who cut in and beat Mason for an unassisted tally at 16:20.

Up by three, things seemed under control. A dominant shift from the Derick Brassard, Benoit Pouliot and Mats Zuccarello unit led directly to a point blank opportunity for Stralman. After he was denied by Mason, Stralman was shoved into the Flyer netminder by his own defenseman. Instead, he was sent to the box for goalie interference. Another weak call. This time, the Flyers finally took advantage when a Lecavalier one-timer from the point deflected off a sliding Klein past Lundqvist. His first of the series came at 19:27 from former Islanders Mark Streit and Andrew MacDonald.

Trailing by two despite not playing well, it gave the Flyers some life. The Rangers sat on the lead a little too much for my liking. They allowed the Flyers to enter the zone more and get some tough shots on Lundqvist, who came up big. Even Giroux was able to finally get a couple of chances.

There were a couple of good shifts that seemed to halt their momentum. St. Louis was brilliant throughout leading the Rangers with four shots including a couple of near misses. On a nice outlet from Stepan, he was stoned by Mason on a forehand deke. Stepan also had a nice solo effort getting a tough backhand on that Mason kicked out. In defeat, he made some key stops that kept it a two-goal deficit.

With over two minutes left, Berube pulled his goalie. The Rangers iced the puck a couple of times including one from McDonagh. Never a strong faceoff team, they saw the Flyers creep within one when a long Giroux shot snuck through traffic with 1:29 remaining. His first came from Kimmo Timonen and Wayne Simmonds.

But with the crowd urging them on, the Rangers put the game out of reach. A gigantic defensive sequence from Girardi allowed them to breathe easy. He took a heavy hit from Hartnell and then made a soft clear off the boards. A smart read that allowed the puck not to go for icing. A streaking Moore outraced Timonen and then fed the trailer Boyle for the exclamation point.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Dan Girardi, NYR (assist, 4 hits, +1 in 30 shifts-25:59-best defenseman in series)

2nd Star-Dominic Moore, NYR (goal-2nd of series, assist, 2 takeaways, 6 for 7 on draws, +1 in 12:36-one of Slat’s best signings)

1st Star-Martin St. Louis, NYR (assist, 4 SOG, +1 in 20:01-No.26 dominated in 26 big shifts)

Jakub Voracek tips in the winner on the power play that evened the series.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola

By show of hands, who thought the power play woes were a thing of the past? For much of the season, the Rangers have been able to score on the man-advantage. After finishing 15th under the tutelage of assistant coach Scott Arniel, they buried the Flyers in Game 1 cashing in twice.

Since Benoit Pouliot converted a power play goal for a 2-0 lead in Game 2, the Rangers have failed miserably. They’re 0 for their last 12. The Flyers shut them out at Wells Fargo Center. They went 0-for-8 including a critical blown opportunity on a 4-on-3 highlighting yesterday’s 2-1 Game 4 loss that evened the series. In particular, their reluctance to shoot for the remaining 1:12 at the start of the third was inexplicable.

So was Alain Vigneault’s curious choice not to use Rick Nash. He only received 2:33 on the power play. A low amount compared with Brad Richards (7:27), Derek Stepan (4:16) and Martin St. Louis (4:08). Even though he hasn’t scored yet, he’s their most dangerous finisher. In the series, Nash leads the Rangers with 23 shots. That included a point blank chance which Steve Mason denied. There also was the close call at the end where he missed a backhand. Nash finished with five shots and missed the net four times. They’re just not going in. Despite having four assists, he’s taken criticism due to having only 1 goal in 16 postseason games as a Blueshirt. That must change.

 “I don’t think we made it difficult enough [on Mason],” Nash told New York Post’s Larry Brooks in a column detailing his struggles. “We need more traffic and to create more chances.”

Of course, he’s right. In Mason’s first start, he was able to see the shots allowing him to make 37 saves. No one went to the blue paint and made his life difficult. Part of the power struggles were a lack of traffic. They also had problems getting set up. The Flyers challenged at the blue line forcing them into careless turnovers. When they did have puck possession, they were too stagnant. An epidemic that plagued them under Mike Sullivan.

In their two wins, the Flyers have won the special teams battle. In Game 2, they went 2-for-3 on the power play and killed off five of six including the Rangers’ last four. Friday night, Jakub Voracek notched the winner with a power play tally. Again, Philadelphia made the most of their opportunities going 1-for-2. Their aggressive penalty kill went four of four.

Overall, the Rangers are 3-for-20 in the series. All three came at MSG where they went 3-for-12. When the series resumes tomorrow for a pivotal Game 5 at high noon, they must do a better job. The Flyers have taken bad penalties throughout. They must make them pay.

Steve Mason denies Rick Nash for one of his 37 saves.
AP Photo/Chris Szagola

Steve Mason continued his mastery. The Flyers number one goalie finally was healthy enough to start and boy did he make a difference. His 37 saves allowed the Flyers to come away with a hard fought 2-1 win over the Rangers to even the best of seven first round series.

After subbing late for Ray Emery in Game 3, Mason was outstanding. He was particularly sharp in a lopsided first period that the Rangers controlled outshooting the Flyers 16-6. Tested early and often, he saved his team from falling behind more than a goal. Mason allowed one goal to Dominic Moore. Following a strong penalty kill of a dubious penalty on Moore for hooking embellisher Zac Rinaldo, Brian Boyle got the puck to Moore after he came out of the box. He followed up his own rebound by beating Mason with a wrap around at 4:38.

Boosted by the goal from their fourth line, the Rangers carried the play. Using superior speed, they created dangerous chances. Despite getting behind the Flyers D several times, they never found a way to grab a two-goal lead. Instead, Mason stoned them time and again. The former Blue Jacket was the best player on the ice. His clutch stops allowed his team to breathe.

Similar to Game 2, the Flyers scored a bad goal on Henrik Lundqvist. Over four minutes after Moore’s tally, Jason Akeson’s intentional pass off the back boards caromed right to Matt Read, who caught Lundqvist off his post for the tying goal. Ironically, Read is the same player whose blindside hit on Daniel Carcillo didn’t warrant a suspension on a play that went undetected.

Even with the game even, the Rangers continued to dominate play. They surrounded the Flyers net searching for the go ahead. The third line of Carcillo, Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin came the closest. They also had a power play following a dangerous high hit Brayden Schenn delivered on Rick Nash. However, they couldn’t connect. Nash had the best opportunity on a rebound but his low attempt was denied by Mason.

After surviving the first 20 minutes, the Flyers turned it into a similar style to Game 2. Coach Craig Berube made a good adjustment having his defense aggressively challenge the Rangers at the blue line. The strategy worked forcing them into sloppy play. Their passes didn’t connect and they weren’t able to sustain a consistent fore check. Predictably, the Flyers mucked it up during post-whistle scrums. They played much smarter.

A strong Philadelphia penalty kill on an Andrew MacDonald hooking minor allowed them to grab the momentum. To be blunt, the Rangers power play was terrible. They got no pressure and turned the puck over repeatedly leading to easy Flyer clears. In fact, they got the best chance shorthanded but Lundqvist slid across to deny it.

On the next shift, Moore cross checked Claude Giroux putting him in the sin bin. Giroux, who said the Flyers would win didn’t register a point. But he did get a shot on a power play that eventually cashed in. A Mark Streit keep allowed Brayden Schenn plenty of time to fire a shot which an unguarded Jakub Voracek tipped in high to Lundqvist’s blocker. His second of the series came at 7:22 of the second. The Rangers inability to clear the puck cost them. Marc Staal was late recovering which allowed Voracek too much time.

A Sean Couturier high stick put the Rangers back on the man-advantage. It didn’t matter because the Flyers easily killed it. When they weren’t outracing Rangers to loose pucks, they allowed Mason to see every shot. Unlike the first where he stood on his head, he made the saves and the Flyers D did the rest. Not one Blueshirt got in front of him.

The power outage continued. After matching roughs to Carcillo and Schenn with under a minute left, Ryan McDonagh pinched in during a four on four and got robbed by Mason, who made his best save. On the same shift, Read went for hooking at 19:44. Predictably, they lost the offensive draw killing the rest of the second. Despite getting a fresh sheet of ice, there was no sense of urgency. The one time they got set up, all the four players did was pass the puck around like a hot potato. Not one shot was attempted.

Continuing to play a grinding style, the Flyers were content to protect a one-goal lead. In a wild postseason full of blown leads, it worked. Alain Vigneault tried double shifting Nash and eventually flipped Moore with Carcillo. Moore moved up with Richards and Hagelin. For most of the third, the Blueshirts were bottled up. They finally started applying pressure with less than five minutes left. As usual, Mats Zuccarello got the best chances. Similar to Game 2, he was robbed point blank only it was Mason instead of Emery. His line with Derick Brassard and Benoit Pouliot failed to produce a point in the two games at Wells Fargo Center. That must change Sunday at MSG for what the pivotal Game 5.

Vigneault pulled Lundqvist for an extra attacker with over a minute left. It nearly worked. But on his best shift in which he circled around the net, Nash sent a backhand through the crease that just missed. It was the closest they came.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Braydon Coburn, PHI (assist, 3 SOG, hit, blocked shot-strong defensive work, +1 in 25:27)

2nd Star-Jakub Voracek, PHI (PPG-2nd of series at 7:22, 2nd for GW)

1st Star-Steve Mason, PHI (37 saves incl. 15/16 in 1st, 12/12 in 2nd, 10/10 in 3rd)