The Philadelphia Flyers take on the New York Rangers in Game 2 of the NHL Playoffs tonight. The First Round matchup is slated for a 12:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on NBC. The odds for the game have the Rangers are favored to win the game, according to the oddsmakers.
The New York Rangers dominated the opening game of this series, winning 4-1 over Philadelphia on Thursday night. The Flyers actually took the lead early in the contest when Andrew MacDonald scored less than eight minutes into the game. New York tied the game a few minutes later and it was quite a while before another tally was posted on the board. But back-to-back power play goals by Brad Richards and Derek Stepan less than a minute apart in the third period distanced the Rangers from Philadelphia and put the game away.
The Flyers were not a good road team this season, going just 18-16-7 this season. The Rangers weren't the best home team in the league, either, finishing the regular season with a 20-17-4 record at Madison Square Garden. Yet, with the win in Game 1 of the series the Rangers have won each of their last nine games at the Garden over Philadelphia. They've also won all three games there this season over the Flyers. New York has outscored Philadelphia 35-10 during the winning streak and allowed two goals or fewer in each of the nine games.
Philadelphia is still playing with their backup goaltender as Ray Emery will get his second straight start in this series as Steve Mason will once again be out. He's been on the sidelines for a week because of an "upper body injury" according to the Flyers.
Defensively, the Rangers played an amazing game in the opener. They allowed the Flyers to get off only 15 shots on goal and if they bring that same type of effort here today, they'll hold serve by winning both games at home. Philly captain Claude Giroux, who scored 28 goals during the regular season, did not get a shot off in the opener. Scott Hartnell will need to play well on the offensive end as well.
Henrik Lundqvist is going to continue to be a problem for Philadelphia in this series. He's one of the best stopgaps in the league and we think he'll play a major role in this game today. New York can hold serve and take a 2-0 lead back to Philly in the series with a win today. They can't allow the Flyers to gain momentum and steal one here.
Free Pick: New York 3, Philadelphia 2
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