The Flyers have made it to the end of their tough stretch, facing off against the division-leading Rangers.
The Rangers have won the first two matchups, though the Flyers may have deserved a better fate in the last one. They played New York well, but beating Igor Shesterkin more than once isn’t an easy task. Philadelphia hasn’t been blown out by the Rangers this season, either. They’ve lost 3-1 and 2-1 this season.
Philadelphia Flyers
Coming to the end of this gauntlet against top teams, the Flyers have performed rather well. They’ve gone 2-3-1. While that doesn’t seem good, getting points in three of those games is huge. They took the Hurricanes to overtime and came within a goal of doing the same to the Bruins. They even outplayed the Panthers, but couldn’t get much past Anthony Stolarz. Hanging with the big clubs at this time of the season is huge for this group.
This is the Flyers fifth game in eight nights. They will not have more than one day off until after they face the Islanders on Apr. 1. They will have to continue to dig deep in these games to find the necessary energy. Philadelphia has seen their best play coming in the third period as of late. Against a team like the Rangers, they will need that effort all game long.
In good news, Jamie Drysdale and Nick Seeler took part in most of the Flyers’ morning skate. While they are not ready to rejoin the lineup yet, it was a good sign to see them out with the team. Next week is a better option for their return, but that is not a guarantee. Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning have played well and the Flyers will have a decision to make when the former two return.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Owen Tippett - Morgan Frost - Travis Konecny
Joel Farabee - Scott Laughton - Bobby Brink
Tyson Foerster - Ryan Poehling - Garnet Hathaway
Noah Cates - Sean Couturier - Olle Lycksell
Cam York - Travis Sanheim
Adam Ginning - Ronnie Attard
Egor Zamula - Erik Johnson
Sam Ersson
New York Rangers
The Rangers have had a rather moderate stretch of games lately. They’ve played just four games in nine nights, and have been off the last two days. They can clinch a playoff spot tonight with a victory over the Flyers or if the Red Wings lose to the Capitals in regulation. A point over Philadelphia and any kind of Wings loss will also do it.
Superstar forward Artemi Panarin is one point away from 100 on the season. He leads the Rangers in all offensive categories, namely points by a large margin. His 99 points are 30 more than Vincent Trocheck. Panarin would become the fourth player to reach the century mark this season. With 13 goals and 40 points in 31 games against the Flyers, there is a good chance Panarin reaches that mark tonight.
With the recent rest, the Flyers are likely to see Igor Shesterkin once again. Jonathan Quick has given the Rangers a capable backup, but it is still Shesterkin‘s team. He has alternated wins and losses in his last five games. If that stays true, he is due for a loss this evening.
Rangers Projected Lineup
Chris Kreider - Mika Zibanejad - Jack Roslovic
Artemi Panarin - Vincent Trocheck - Alexis Lafreniere
Will Cuylle - Alex Wennberg - Kaapo Kakko
Jimmy Vesey - Barclay Goodrow - Matt Rempe
Zac Jones - Adam Fox
K'Andre Miller - Braden Schneider
Brandon Scanlin - Chad Ruhwedel
Igor Shesterkin
When, Where, and How to Watch/Listen
Time: 7:00 PM
Where: Madison Square Garden
Watch: NBCSP
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Live Stream: FuboTV
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