The New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers meet on the ice tonight in Game 7 of their NHL Playoffs opening series. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on NBC. Currently the odds for the game have the Rangers favored at home.
Less than 24 hours after Philadelphia picked up a victory in the sixth game of this series, these two squads head to a seventh and deciding game here tonight. The Flyers took advantage of being on home ice Tuesday night, getting a hat trick from Wayne Simmonds that will allow them to play inside Madison Square Garden tonight to determine their fate.
This game is one of three on the docket tonight that will be a Game 7. In all the times these two clubs have met in the post season, this will be just the second time they have played in a Game 7. The Rangers and Flyers haven't met in a deciding game in the playoffs since facing off in Philadelphia in the 1974 semifinals, when the the Flyers went on to win their first Stanley Cup.
Simmonds' hat trick last night was the first by a Flyers player in the post season since Eric Lindros accomplished the feat in 1997.
The power play could be an important portion of this game. The Rangers are just 3-of-28 in the series and have gone 0-for-16 during the last four games. Philadelphia, on the other hand, has netted six power play goals and has taken advantage when they had the opportunity.
Philadelphia goalie Steve Mason has played well in his games back from injury, but he struggles at Madison Square Garden. The Philadelphia netminder is just 0-2-1 with a 3.85 goals-against average in four career game at the World's Most Famous Arena. Mason also picked up the loss there in Game 5.
His counterpart, Henrik Lundqvist, is one of the best in the game but didn't look very good last night. The Rangers have yet to lose a Game 7 in their own arena, going 5-0 in those games. Lundqvist himself helped them win twice in Game 7 appearances inside the Garden. New York hasn't been eliminated at home in a series since falling to Buffalo in Game 6 in 2007, and it's won 10 of 11 overall meetings there with Philadelphia.
The winner of this game tonight will take on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the next round. Tonight we like the Rangers to get the job done in their own building.
Free Pick: New York 3, Philadelphia 2
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