Rangers clinch No. 1 seed in East, sweep season series against Flyers
PHILADELPHIA — Outside, inside, Pennsylvania, New York. It truly doesn’t matter where they play — the Rangers personal the Flyers.
As a result, they are the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Ryan Callahan and Artem Anisimov scored as component of a four-purpose very first time period, and the New York Rangers clinched the No. 1 seed for the very first time because 1994 with a 5-3 win more than the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.
The Rangers are tops in the East for the initial time given that Mark Messier led them to their final Stanley Cup championship 18 years ago. The Rangers, who lead the all round NHL standings with 109 points, are assured of property-ice benefit right up until at least the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Rangers are on top thanks to a beautiful series sweep of the Atlantic Division-rival Flyers. They went six- against Philadelphia for the very first time in 40 many years.
“I adore this, what a season,” stated forward Brad Richards, considered the biggest prize in final summer’s free-agent market. “This is a fantastic time of year. Yes, it really is going to be a grind, it always is, but we have a very good crew here, and we have the correct items in location. It really is up to us.”
Ryan McDonagh and Brian Boyle also scored to help the Rangers storm to a 4- lead. Marian Gaborik added his 41st aim, and Henrik Lundqvist earned his occupation-greatest 39th victory.
The Rangers have ridden the All-Star Lundqvist all the way to the top, and he was sensational again in the clincher. It was Rangers defenseman Marc Staal who knocked the puck previous him for the very first Philadelphia objective. Staal kicked the puck with his left skate under Lundqvist’s correct leg in the 2nd to make it four-1. Jakub Voracek received credit for the aim.
Lundqvist solidified his Vezina Trophy credentials with 37 saves in his milestone victory. In the locker space, he had his correct arm wrapped up in ice and was hurting. He mentioned he had trouble retaining a hold of his stick late in the game immediately after getting struck by a shot late in the 2nd time period.
“There were instances where I wanted to say, ‘I’m outta here.’ But I received through it,” he mentioned “We’ll see how it is in a couple of days, see how it feels. Hopefully, I will be ready to go, but it was difficult.”
First put is uncommon air for a crew that has won only two postseason series since 1998. Proprietor James Dolan made an atypical pay a visit to to the postgame news conference in January and proclaimed the Rangers Stanley Cup contenders.
“I believe we’re quite near to obtaining that back,” Dolan said of the Stanley Cup.
Opening at home positive aids.
“It is been a prolonged year for these guys, but they deserve the No. 1 seed,” Rangers coach John Tortorella mentioned. “Now, in a couple of days, items will alter. But I know our guys are excited for that.”
Ilya Bryzgalov was a sparkling ten-2-one in March and chosen as the NHL’s initial star, but he sat out the previous three games simply because of a chip fracture in his proper foot. In his return, he had Flyers fans wishing he missed one particular far more.
McDonagh took Gaborik’s feed from behind the net and scored his seventh purpose of the season 6:25 in. Boyle followed with his 10th, and Anisimov and Callahan the two scored on the power play for a 4- lead that quieted an oddly sparse crowd for Philadelphia.
The Flyers have trailed at least two- in seven of their final ten games
“I do not know what we have got to do,” Flyers forward Claude Giroux mentioned “Drink one much more cup of coffee? I don’t know. We’ve received to find a way to get a much better start off.”
Unable to clear up Lundqvist, the Flyers took out their frustrations with their fists. Zac Rinaldo slugged it out with New York’s Brandon Prust in a lengthy bout the refs have been in no rush to quit. Philadelphia’s Jody Shelley used a series of rights to the face to pummel Mike Rupp.
The teams stored up the trash-speaking, pushing and poking for the rest of the game.
All the scrapping aided both teams score electrical power-play goals in the final 90 seconds of the 2nd. Gaborik sent a shot from the slot past two defenders for a five-1 lead. Wayne Simmonds, wearing a visor immediately after he was hit in the face by a puck last week, followed for the Flyers with his 28th objective.
Scott Hartnell additional his group-large 37th in the third, but it was also late for Philadelphia.
The Rangers won the first 5 meetings with Philadelphia by Feb. 11, including a 2-1 victory in the Winter Traditional at Citizens Bank Park.
“It feels good to beat them once again, and full the deal,” Gaborik mentioned. “With the Winter Traditional and all, we’ve been kind of linked together with them for a even though.”
Dating to final season, the Rangers have seven straight wins against the Flyers for the first time because Philadelphia went 13 video games with no a win from November 1971 to December 1973.
Voracek desired the Flyers to seem at the “brilliant side” if the two teams resume their rivalry in the playoffs.
“If they want to beat us, that means they’d have to beat us ten times this year,” he mentioned. “That is a great deal of games. I don’t believe it is going to happen”
The Flyers have been fired up lately. Coach Peter Laviolette was fined $ 10,000 on Monday following calling out Penguins counterpart Dan Bylsma for sending out his checking line late in Philadelphia’s 6-three win at Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Notes
- Flyers C Danny Briere sat out with a back contusion.
- This is the most up-to-date the Rangers have been in very first place in the East considering that 1994.
- The Rangers are 21-three-3 when foremost immediately after the initial time period.
- Gaborik has a point in 6 straight video games.