AP Photo/Derik Hamilton
Henrik Lundqvist showed why he’s still the best goalie in the world, standing on his head and allowing just one flukey goal and one teammate-deflection goal as he carried the Rangers to a 3-2 win. The Rangers didn’t generate much sustained offense in this game, but did a good job capitalizing on turnovers to turn those into quick strike goals. It wasn’t the best showing, but a win is a win. After the debacle on Wednesday, you take the two points.
The defense struggled a lot, leaving slot men open almost regularly and forcing Lundqvist to make point blank saves. The forwards were having trouble sustaining offensive pressure as well. But Matt Puempel got his first goal as a Ranger on a goal that also marked Josh Jooris’ first assist as a Ranger. So that was cool.
On to the goals:
Rangers 1, Flyers 0
J.T. Miller came in on the forecheck to force the turnover. The transition chaos led to Derek Stepan being left alone as he cut to the net. Easy tap-in for him.
Rangers 2, Flyers 0
Josh Jooris blocked a point shot, and then immediately started the transition rush by getting the puck to Jimmy Vesey. Vesey made a beautiful pass to Matt Puempel, who finished for his first goal as a Ranger.
Rangers 3, Flyers 0
Mark Streit had a really bad turnover to Nick Holden at the blue line. Holden found Kevin Hayes in the slot for the tip.
Rangers 3, Flyers 1
Brandon Pirri got a little crossed up on the Andrew MacDonald zone entry, leaving the middle of the ice open for the zone entry and dump in. After that, it was a bit of a flukey goal, as MacDonald threw it in front and it went in off Chris Vandevelde’s skate.
Rangers 3, Flyers 2
With an empty net, the Flyers were able to sustain significant pressure. The Rangers were collapsing in front, leaving the points open for opportunities. Shayne Gostisbehere’s shot went off Mats Zuccarello’s stick and by Lundqvist, making us all sweat a little bit as the game ended.
Score-Adjusted Corsi
The Rangers really didn’t look good in this game. They couldn’t sustain anything in the offensive zone consistently, which led to much more time in their own end. This is partially due to injuries, and partially due to holes on the roster being exposed.
Scoring Chances
The Rangers failed to generate a significant amount of scoring chances, which again is likely due to injuries and spending so much time in their own end this game. At least they did a decent job through two periods of limiting the Flyers as well. But that third period…yikes.
This was a game where the Rangers went into the third period with a 3-0 lead and won by the skin of their teeth. It’s not a good look, and hopefully something that will be few and far between. As they deal with injuries and the opposition’s adjustments, expect a few more games like this.
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