If you are wondering how the Philadelphia Flyers (36-32-11) can navigate into the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, here are the scenarios:
- The Flyers must finish undefeated, and the New York Islanders must lose out.
- The Flyers must finish undefeated, and the Washington Capitals can only win one remaining game.
- The Flyers must finish undefeated, and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings split their last four games, at best.
Currently, Philadelphia is on an eight-game losing streak. On Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens stripped the dignity from the Flyers. A 9-3 loss resulted in an ‘organizational decision,’ per Sean Couturier, to keep every player in their sweaters in the locker room. Dan Hilferty made his presence known in the locker room.
Forget the postseason narrative. It’s alive, but in Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers (53-22-4), this game features a heavy ‘put up or shut up’ punch regarding the current state of the franchise.
New York Rangers
Peter Laviolette had himself quite a Tuesday, too. He took to the media with disgust regarding Ryan Pulock and Mika Zibanejad. Both players collided, neither paying attention, at center ice. Laviolette called the hit ‘vicious‘ following a loss to the New York Islanders. Laviolette gave an update on Zibanejad after being asked about a precautionary night off:
“Not at this point. Right now, we’re dialed in and trying to collect the two points.”
Peter Laviolette; 4/11/2024
Artemi Panarin was very active on Long Island. He notched an assist and accounted for two shots on goal, but Semyon Varlamov made saves when they mattered the most. Panarin took 14 more shot attempts, including eight blocked by defensemen and two pucks off the post. In his last five games, Panarin tallied nine points (2G, 7A), extending his point streak to ten games. This season, versus Philadelphia, Panarin has three assists.
Here’s the tentative lineup for the New York Rangers, per Vince Mercogliano:
Panarin-Trocheck-Lafreniere
Kreider-Zibanejad-Roslovic
Cuylle-Wennberg-Kakko
Goodrow-Brodzinski-Vesey
Lindgren-Fox
Miller-Trouba
Gustafsson-Schneider
Quick
(Shesterkin)
Philadelphia Flyers
An eight-game losing streak ultimately reflects a collection of things that went horribly wrong, but that doesn’t accurately detail this stretch. In most of the losses, the Flyers were outplaying opponents, but couldn’t buy a goal. It wasn’t until recently that everything hit the fan. John Tortorella cites that his lineup is pressing, losing structure, and complicating the game, and they’re paying the price. Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov are getting torched in the fire, too.
“It’s not blaming. We’ve had struggles in goal, and people try to overcompensate sometimes, too. That takes you out of position and it just changes the whole dynamic. I think, from the goalie on out, we need to be more cohesive. I don’t think we’ve played well in front of the goalies the past couple games. We’ve had some struggles in goal, in the consistency the last little bit, and it just turns things upside-down. We got to figure that out. We’re a smart enough team, and that’s where that’s my job to try to calm this down into structure with intensity. It gives us the best chance to try to find a result.”
John Tortorella; 4/11/2024
Noah Cates recorded an assist and two high-danger scoring chances in Montreal. Despite the result, Cates had another solid game with and without the puck, forcing a takeaway, blocking two shots, and making three hits. In his last five games, Cates has four points (2G, 2A). Cates hasn’t recorded a point against the Rangers.
Here’s the tentative lineup for the Philadelphia Flyers, per Siobhan Nolan:
Farabee-Laughton-Konecny
Tippett-Frost-Brink
Cates-Couturier-Foerster
Atkinson-Poehling-Hathaway
York-Sanheim
Seeler-Drysdale
Staal-Johnson
Ersson
(Fedotov)
Place Your Bets (via Draft Kings Sportsbook)
Philadelphia Flyers (+170)
New York Rangers (-205)
Noah Cates anytime goal (+500)
Cam York over 2.5 blocked shots (+105)
Artemi Panarin under 1.5pts (-160)
Game Information
Watch the Philadelphia Flyers visit the New York Rangers on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Listen to the radio broadcast on 97.5 The Fanatic. The puck drops at 7pm.
(AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes)
