New York Rangers Open Game Thread- Rangers Vs Flyers, Game Four
Do the Flyers tie this series up or do the Rangers put themselves one win away from the second round? Let's do this.
Damn, Game 4 is here already? Tonight we'll be seeing Steve Mason start in his first NHL Playoff game as a Flyer (he started in four games in 2008-09 with the Blue Jackets). Mason played about 7 minutes of game three and stopped the three shots the Rangers threw at him but none of them were terribly challenging. Mason's performance tonight is going to be the big storyline throughout the game. The Rangers have outshot the Flyers by 20 shots in the series thus far so Mason is going to have to be on top of his game.
We all know that Claude Giroux guaranteed a victory tonight and we also know that the Flyers are under some pressure to tie the series up on home ice tonight. The Rangers need to continue to help the Flyers continue to find their way to the penalty box and once the Flyers are shorthanded, the Rangers have to make them pay on the power play. Thus far this series has been a battle of special teams. Whichever team wins that battle tonight might just end up winning the war.
Mike's Player to Watch: Ryan McDonagh
The apparent rust on Rangers stud defenseman Ryan McDonagh has perhaps been the most troubling aspect of the 2014 NHL Playoffs for Blueshirts fans. Thankfully the other Rangers blueliners have picked up and the slack and a Ryan McDonagh playing at 75-80% is still better than the vast majority of other NHL blueliners. With all that being said, the Rangers need the Ryan McDonagh we all know and love to come back as soon as possible. I'm hoping that a couple of days of rest will have been just what McDonagh needed to get comfortable again.
Let's go Rangers!!!