NYC Beatdown: Flyers 5, Rangers 2

photo by Chris MacGrath/Getty Images via d.yimg.com

[AP Recap] - [Game Summary] - [Event Summary] - [NHL.com Highlights]

The Flyers waltzed into Madison Square Garden and delivered a message to the New York Rangers today. They beat them left and right, up and down, and catapulted themselves into a stronger hold on the fourth spot in the East at the same time.

For the Rangers, it was a nightmare. It was a representation of all their problems -- inconsistent goaltending, and inability to score, and a terrible power play.

Flyers dominate -- but only half the game

The Flyers controlled the play for the first 30 minutes of the game. They didn't give the Rangers any room to move with the puck, and a four goal outburst in the second period put the Rangers in a hole they wouldn't get out of. It was absolute domination in every possible way. Every line contributed. They even ran goalie Henrik Lundqvist from the game.

But the final thirty minutes of the game were a different story. The Flyers, up 5-0, clearly sat back as the second period came to a close, and then throughout the third period. Luckily for them, the Rangers couldn't score on a soccer net, and Martin Biron was the best player on the ice.

Biron's masterful performance

Marty is taking advantage of his chance, isn't he? With Antero Niittymaki, who apparently had earned the starting job over Biron just last week, out with the flu, Biron is giving coach John Stevens something to think about. He followed up a 38 save performance yesterday with a 35 save outing today, and he was the difference between the Flyers holding their comfortable lead and the Rangers potential comeback.

Other Notes

• Claude Giroux scored his second EDIT (thanks jello44): third NHL goal and also had two assists. Kid continues to impress.
• Mike Richards became the first player to score three career three-on-five goals. 
• Arron Asham and Paul Mara fought in the second period.
• Mike Milbury and Pierre Mcguire are terrible commentators. 
• I'm watching Comcast SportsNet right now and Marshall Harris is seriously an idiot. Throw Amy Fadool in the mix and you've got a sports IQ of like six at the anchor desk.

Questions With Answers

1. How do the Flyers perform on the second day of a back to back? They came out flying. Excuse the pun. If anything I would've expected the lull to come in the beginning of the game, not the end of the game. But it's hard to blame a team for sitting back a little bit when they're up 5-0.
   
2. Does Biron build on yesterday's strong effort? He certainly did. Biron was excellent today.
   
3. Does the Lupul-Carter-Hartnell line keep its magic going? As a whole, the line didn't add to their growing point totals, but the story isn't always told on the scoreboard. All of the Flyer forwards contributed today.
   
4. Can the top line of Richards, Gagne, and Knuble get its magic started? Gagne and Knuble hooked up for a goal while Claude Giroux was on the ice with them, and Mike Richards was able to put one home while shorthanded. Again, all the forwards were excellent today. Nothing to complain about.
   
5. How long does it take for the NBC broadcasters to piss off Flyer fans? Personally, about nine seconds. I timed it.
   

Game Thread Roll Call: A new feature I'll be doing for the rest of the season. I'll be tallying up the comments and who does them, and at the end of the season/playoffs, whoever has the most will win some sort of Broad Street Hockey prize. A little bit of competition should be fun.

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Up Next: The Flyers are off until Thursday, again. These lay offs are seriously getting old. I feel like this is NCAA hockey or the Phantoms where they only play on the weekends. Anyway, it's a tough schedule the rest of the month and the Flyers are going to have to build upon the wins this weekend. Buffalo, Thursday, 7 PM. Go Flyers.