The New York Rangers hung on to a 3-2 lead late, and pulled out a victory against the Washington Capitals, on Sunday afternoon. Henrik Lundqvist was a star in net once again this afternoon, turning away some late pressure by the Washington Capitals.

After an even start to the first period, we had the first goal of the game just 11 minutes in. Ryan Callahan shoveled a backhand from the side of the net, over the sprawling Michael Neuvirth to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Brad Richards made a great first pass out to Anton Stralman, who later found Callahan to the side of the net. The Rangers have been connecting for some pretty goals over the last two games.

However, the lead only lasted until the 6:31 mark of the second period as Alexander Semin ripped a slap shot over the blocker of Henrik Lundqvist. Jason Chimera used his outside speed to gain the zone on the Rangers, and left a nifty drop pass for Semin.

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The New York Rangers got a huge 5-2 victory Saturday afternoon, cruising past the Philadelphia Flyers. Today, the Rangers are going to try and sweep their back-to-back series this weekend with a win over the Washington Capitals.

Joe's Player To Watch:

Brad Richards

#19 / Center / New York Rangers

Height: 6-0

Weight: 196

Born: May 02, 1980

Richards had a big game against the Flyers, I don't see any reason why he can't continue it tonight. Have fun in the game thread everyone, let's go Rangers!

The New York Rangers widened their gap in the Atlantic Division with a very crucial 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Just like they did the against the Tampa Bay Lightning, there were many positives signs in the win. First off, the Rangers power play combined for three goals on six opportunities. The last time the Rangers had more then one power play goal in a single game was back in December.

Also, Brad Richards notched three assists, and has picked up his great immensely since scoring the game winner versus the Lightning. Marian Gaborik also had four points and continues his success he has had this season. It also puts the Rangers six points ahead of the second place Flyers in the Atlantic Division.

They also currently have two less games then everyone in their division, except the New York Islanders, who have 54 games played. The Flyers, Penguins and Devils are all right behind the Rangers, but if they continue their play, I believe they have a legit shot at winning the Atlantic.

What do you guys think? Will the Rangers take the Atlantic Division, or is it too early to tell?

Here are your keys to the game for the New York Rangers' matchup with the Washington Capitals.

Ride The Momentum: The Rangers got a huge win Saturday afternoon, crushing the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-2. The Rangers can use the momentum they've gained from the win over the Flyers this afternoon against the Capitals. The Rangers are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games, and are entering a tough stretch of play against some of the better teams in the NHL. They will have an opportunity to beat another one of those teams tonight.

Don't Underestimate The Capitals: Washington is a struggling hockey team right now, there's not debating that. The Capitals are 4-3-3 in their last 10 games, and are sitting in 9th place in the Eastern Conference. The catch? They're two points out of third place, since 63 points would be good for tops in their division. That makes the Capitals a dangerous team, and the Rangers can't take them lightly.

The New York Rangers came away with their fifth straight victory against the Flyers this season, with a 5-2 victory this afternoon. Ryan Callahan notched his second career hat trick today, including two power play goals as well. Henrik Lundqvist had another strong performance between the pipes to preserve the lead for the Rangers.

Just eight minutes in the first period, we saw Stu Bickel and Tom Sestito renew their rivalry once again. Sestito crashed the net after the whistle and Bickel took exception. Both would receive ten minute misconducts, but Sestito would get the extra minor for roughing. It's also worth noting that Stu Bickel was dressed as a seventh defenseman for this game, and saw some time on the right side of the fourth forward line.

Just 24 seconds later (ironic huh?), Ryan Callahan cashed in on the power play to give the Rangers an early 1-0 lead. Marian Gaborik made a great pass over to Callahan, which wound up fooling Sergei Bobrovsky. However, just over five minutes later, Wayne Simmonds tied up the team with an beautiful deflection in front of Lundqvist.

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The New York Rangers will look to continue their dominance against the Philadelphia Flyers today when they take on the Flyers on the road.

Joe's Player To Watch:

Brad Richards

#19 / Center / New York Rangers

Height: 6-0

Weight: 196

Born: May 02, 1980

Big game against the Lightning for Richards on Thursday, I'm feeling a big game for him tonight as well.

Have fun in the game thread guys!

This is an abbreviated keys to the game, mainly due to the early start.

Don't Take The Foot Off The Gas: The New York Rangers have shown all year that they can truly dominate games, the only issue is that those spurts generally don't last the entire game. The Rangers' win over the Lightning and loss to the Devils were perfect examples of the Rangers dominating for a period, but not playing at the level they wanted to before then. The Flyers want a win against the Rangers, bad, so New York needs to come out flying and keep it going for 60 minutes.

All Hail The King: Henrik Lundqvist tends to be a busy man when the Rangers take on the flyers. Today doesn't figure to be any different. Lundqvist gets up for these types of games, which is good because the Rangers will need him against a tough Flyers squad. This falls on the defense as well. The Rangers' defensive corps need to keep the crease clear and make sure that Lundqvist can see everything that comes his way.

Brad Richards scored another big goal for the New York Rangers Thursday night, potting the game-winner in overtime. It's taken Richards some time to adjust to the new team and the new system, and it's evident that he's not fully there yet. But with another game winning goal (his seventh so far this season) under his belt, will he start to find his game?

Tonight's matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers poses a tough test for the Rangers, who will look to push their rivals even further down in the standings as New York looks to secure the division. Richards should be a big part of that, especially when he's on top of his game.

I don't think Richards has played poorly the past few games, I just don't think the bounces have gone his way. That changed against the Tampa Bay Lightning. So I ask all of you: Will the overtime goal get Brad Richards going?

The floor is yours.