Rangers vs. Flyers: Rangers Get Revenge With 4-1 Win Over Philadelphia

Just 24 hours after suffering a crushing loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, the New York Rangers got their revenge tonight with a 4-1 win at Madison Square Garden. Chris Kreider opened the scoring just six minutes into the game, while Pavel Buchnevich, Alexis Lafrenière and Filip Chytil each added a goal to propel the Rangers to victory. Alexandar Georgiev got the start tonight with the back-to-back set and play phenomenal all night long as he turned aside 26 of the 27 shots he faced.

1st Period

Chris Kreider (20) - Artemiy Panarin (37) & Adam Fox (38) PPG - 6:02

With the Rangers needing a much better start in this game, their quick movement resulted in an early power play opportunity. Just under a minute into the man-advantage, Chris Kreider converted in front of the net on a beautiful setup from Artemiy Panarin. Everyone in Madison Square Garden thought Panarin was shooting when he received the puck, but his quick deception completely fooled everyone on the ice. Kreider knew exactly what was coming his way, and kept his stick on the ice for the deflection to make it a 1-0 game.

Oskar Lindblom (7) - Jakub Voracek (26) & Sean Couturier (20) - 6:47

However, 45 seconds later, the Flyers marched right back down the ice and evened up the game at 1-1. Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier setup the goal with hard work down below the goal line, and worked the puck back out in front of the net. Oskar Lindblom was able to collect pass in front and somehow got a shot off while spinning around the defender. Alexandar Georgiev misread the play a bit and the puck slipped under his right pad to tie the game.

Pavel Buchnevich (20) - Mika Zibanejad (25) & Alexis Lafrenière (7) - 7:56

A little over a minute later, the Rangers regained their lead as Pavel Buchnevich picked up his 20th goal of the season. Alexis Lafrenière deserves a ton of credit on this goal to keep the puck alive the boards, and made a pass to Mika Zibanejad while falling down. Zibanejad immediately fed the puck to Pavel Buchnevich cutting out of the corner, and he was able to step around the defender in front of the net. Buchnevich finished off the play with a perfectly placed shot under Alex Lyon’s right arm and the puck deflected into the back of the net.

2nd Period

No scoring.

3rd Period

Alexis Lafrenière (9) - Pavel Buchnevich (22) & Mika Zibanejad (26) - 9:24

The Rangers needed an insurance marker to take some of the pressure off in the third period, and got exactly that from Alexis Lafrenière. A quick give-and-go out of the corner by Mika Zibanejad and Pavel Buchnevich led to a chance down low, but the initial pass across was blocked. Alexis Lafrenière followed up the rebound, made a move below the goal line and tucked the puck just inside the post to give New York a huge 3-1 in the game.

Filip Chytil (8) - Kaapo Kakko (8) & Artemiy Panarin (38) - 13:40

The kids continued to be on full display late in this game, and it was Filip Chytil’s chance to respond as he broke his 12-game scoring drought. Chytil started the play with strong puck possession along the left side boards, and continued to carry the puck as he created space. Chytil eventually let a shot goal from just above the goal line and somehow slipped the puck over Alex Lyon’s glove hand.

The Rangers still need quite a bit to happen if they’re seriously going to get back into the playoff race, but tonight’s win certainly helps that cause. The Boston Bruins also took a hit tonight as they were defeated by the Buffalo Sabres, so the Rangers now move back within six points of the final playoff spot. As long as the Rangers continue to handle their own business on the ice, that’s all you can really ask for at this point.

Following tonight’s win, the Rangers will have a two-game set coming up against the Buffalo Sabres starting on Sunday night at 6:00 p.m.