With the memory of Wayne Simmonds concussing Ryan McDonagh with a punch to the face eight days ago fresh in their minds, the Rangers went out Sunday night at Madison Square Garden and exacted the type of revenge they promised they would by defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 3-1.
Simmonds was a non-factor for the Flyers, stifled at every turn by a determined Rangers squad, who closed out their season series with a 3-1-1 record against Philly. Simmonds missed on eight of his ten attempted shots and turned the puck over a team-high three times on Sunday.
“Points are very hard to come by and these two points we wanted badly,” explained Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault. “There’s no doubt the guys were sticking up for Mac and what happened in Philly (last Saturday). I can’t say I’m displeased about seeing that, but I am most pleased about how we played and the fact that we won the game.”
Henrik Lundqvist nearly backstopped his second consecutive shutout for the Rangers. He allowed a power play goal to Philly’s Brayden Schenn with 9.7 seconds to play in regulation, but finished with 21 saves. His shutout streak was snapped at 122 minutes 7 seconds.
“They’re behind us, chasing us, so it was an important game to separate ourselves from them a little bit,” Lundqvist said following the 667th regular season appearance of his career which set a new franchise record. “I think we played a patient game, controlled the puck really well down low. We gave them too many power plays. Other than that it was a great game.”
Derek Stepan scored a pair of third-period goals for the Rangers–eclipsing 100 goals scored in his career in the process. Derick Brassard had a goal and an assist, while Mats Zuccarello and Dan Girardi each recorded a pair of assists for the Blueshirts who are 5-0-1 in their last six games played.
“Two points are so precious at this point that we can’t get too emotional and wrapped up in too much chaos, so to say,” explained Stepan. “We were really focused on playing that 60 minutes of hockey. We knew it would be a rough game. It always is with Philadelphia.”
The fireworks started early in this one as Simmonds was challenged immediately on his first shift by Rangers defenseman Dylan McIlrath. The pair of heavyweights engaged in a long fight in which each landed some clean blows and Simmonds was left with a nasty cut above his left eye–one that took several minutes for the Flyers trainers to stop bleeding.
“It was pretty clear I wanted to send a message,” said McIlrath, who had words along the red line with Simmonds during pre-game warmups. “I wanted to stick up for my teammate, our captain, our best player.”
That fight officially took place just 39 seconds into the game; and on the very next shift Tanner Glass delivered a thunderous check on Philly defenseman Radko Gudas and was promptly met at center ice by the Flyers’ Ryan White. Glass and White each received five-minute fighting majors at the 59-second mark, meaning 20 minutes in penalties had been doled out less than one minute from the opening puck drop.
“I don’t think there was anyone in the building that didn’t know it was coming,” stated Stepan. “It was something that both teams knew was going to happen. I thought both guys in our locker room did a great job of stepping up.”
Added Vigneault, “There’s no doubt there what Dylan did, and Tanner, also, were a big part of the emotion of this game.”
Lundqvist said the start of the game was “energizing”, while Marc Staal used the word “exciting” for what took place.
The nastiness largely subsided after that–though Zuccarello and Chris VandeVelde were sent off for coincidental cross-checking minors at 4:14–but the intensity on both sides remained very much alive. By time the first period ended the Rangers were credited with 16 hits–to just seven for the Flyers. Eleven of the 18 Blueshirt skaters recorded at least one hit during the first period, exemplifying just how ready the entire team was prepared to compete Sunday night.
The Rangers opened the scoring at 5:08 of the first period when Brassard flew behind Philadelphia’s net and came out on the other side to beat goaltender Steve Mason on a wraparound off the skate of the Flyers goalie. It was Brassard’s 19th goal of the season, tying his single-season career-high. The goal was assisted by Keith Yandle and Girardi.
Zuccarello was sent to the box for a four-minute double-minor high-sticking penalty at 12:53 of the opening period, but Lundqvist was stout early on during the penalty kill and his teammates did the rest as New York survived both penalties. Vigneault used all six of his defensemen on those successful kills and six of his twelve forwards.
“Our PK was really good tonight, I think,” said Vigneault of his unit that killed four of the Flyers five power play opportunities.
The second period was a taught defensive battle in which New York outshot Philadelphia 12-6, though neither team had many prime scoring chances during the scoreless stanza. Two of the Rangers’ best opportunities came off the sticks of defenseman Kevin Klein and fourth liner Daniel Paille, though both were handled by Mason. At the other end of the ice Lundqvist made one sensational stop on Nick Cousins late in the period, not long after Schenn’s power play knuckler fluttered by Lundqvist’s glove and clanged off the post at 17:18.
The Blueshirts continued to throw a defensive blanket over the Flyers to start the third period, not allowing a shot on goal until nearly eight minutes had elapsed. Then at 10:34 the Rangers were finally able to add to their lead when Stepan netted his first goal of the game, and 100th of his career.
After strong work in the offensive zone by the Stepan line, Girardi fired a slap shot which never got through to Mason. However Zuccarello picked up the loose disc in the slot, drifted to his right taking both defenseman and Mason with him, and then sent a backhand pass cross-crease to a wide-open Stepan who settled the puck and fired it into the empty net, giving the Rangers a well-earned 2-0 lead.
“Zucc is a skilled player and you expect skilled players like that to make something out of nothing, and he did that,” Vigneault said of Zuccarello, who leads the team with 43 points. “He’s one of those guys that when he’s on top of his game he is really skilled.”
Stepan scored his 12th goal of the season three minutes later, this one on the power play. After receiving a pass through traffic from Zuccarello, Stepan roofed a shot under the cross bar to make it 3-0 with 6:06 remaining in regulation. The Rangers have now scored a power play goal in each of their last two games after being blanked on the man advantage in nine of their previous ten.
“(Zucc) is a special player,” Stepan said of Zuccarello’s passes that led to his pair of goals. “The first one is an amazing pass. I give him a lot of credit. He’s really helped me along here. He enjoys what he does, and it’s good for me.”
Playing their best hockey in months, the Rangers next will face the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks Wednesday night at MSG before turning around 24 hours later to skate against the Maple Leafs up in Toronto.
Jim Cerny
BlueshirtsUnited.com
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