After a thrilling OT win in Nashville, the Philadelphia Flyers returned to home ice for their annual Black Friday game. In recent years, this contest has been against the New York Rangers, who find themselves struggling this season. With the Rangers’ injuries and overall lack of connection, this was a chance for Philadelphia to capitalize on the opportunity.
John Tortorella said the lines would remain the same and that Ivan Fedotov would get the start on the net.
Flyers vs Rangers recap
As the arena was filled with blue, the Flyers fans made sure to make it known this was Philadelphia’s home ice. Two goals were scored within the first five minutes of the contest. Bobby Brink was able to get the puck past Igor Shesterkin. Brink was fed a nice pass from Tyson Foerster. The Foester-Cates-Brink line played exceptionally today, driving the puck toward the net more than the other lines.
Minutes following Brink’s goal, Travis Konency gave the Flyers a two-goal lead. Philadelphia scored 2-0 on the Rangers early on and maintained a lot of offensive pressure, outshooting them 15-4. The Rangers got their first shot on goal after 11 minutes of play. However, three out of the four shots within the first frame were difficult saves, highlighting Fedotov’s calmness in the net.
In the second frame, the Flyers maintained pressure in the offensive zone. The Rangers did look to have some life within the early minutes, but Philadelphia capitalized on the Rangers’ turnovers. There was a close call on a very neat assist from Matvei Michkov. Michkov passed backward between his legs to Foerster; however, he could not capitalize. The Rangers found themselves on the board as Vincent Trocheck scored the lone goal for New York.
Entering the final frame, Philadelphia only had one goal separating them from the Rangers. With the team notorious for going the extra minutes, it was essential to hold the Rangers to their lone goal. Luckily, with the back-and-forth between the two teams, the Flyers could draw the puck out of their defensive zone as Travis Sanheim was making good clearances.
The contest also went without any penalties up until the final six minutes of the final frame. This was on Reilly Smith for holding Owen Tippett. The Flyers still looked off with their power play, unable to capitalize on any opportunity. However, with time winding down, the Rangers pulled Shesterkin and piled on the pressure. with an open net, the Flyers were able to score one more time.
Konency got an empty-netter for his second goal of the game and 11th of the season. The forward has 27 points to his name as November almost ends. The Rangers have played two fewer games than Philadelphia, but the Flyers now have 25 points, which draws them closer to taking fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.
Philadelphia heads to St. Louis to take on the Blues Saturday night. When the two teams previously met, the Blues had a completely different team. They have recently fired their head coach, Drew Bannister, and hired Jim Montgomery. Since Montgomery’s hiring, the Blues have defeated the Rangers by 5-2 and the Devils by 3-0. This is the final meeting between the two teams this season, and the Flyers are looking to score 2-0.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
