Rangers clinch top wild card, eliminate Flyers
NEW YORK -- Spurred by Mats Zuccarello's three-point game, the New York Rangers clinched the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with their first win at Madison Square Garden since Feb. 19, a 4-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday night.
Four different players scored for the Rangers (47-26-6) and Henrik Lundqvist made 20 saves.
Zuccarello assisted on second-period goals by Mika Zibanejad and Brendan Smith, his first as a Ranger, and a third-period tally by Oscar Lindberg. Chris Kreider added his team-high 28th goal midway through the third period.
The Rangers, who had lost eight straight on home ice coming into play Sunday, will more-than-likely cross over and face the Atlantic Division champion in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Rookie goalie Anthony Stolarz made 20 saves for the Flyers (38-33-8) who were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.
Trailing 4-1, the Flyers scored twice in the closing minutes of regulation -- on Brayden Schenn's 25th goal and Valtteri Filppula's second of the game -- but could not record the equalizer.
The Flyers took advantage of a turnover at the blue line and a defense which allowed Filppula to waltz in from the left circle to beat Lundqvist on the backhand for his 11th goal just 33 seconds into the second period to open the scoring.
Filppula, though, was in the penalty box when the Rangers tied the game three minutes later. Zuccarello slid a cross-ice pass to Zibanejad, who wristed a shot through a Kreider screen and off the shoulder of Stolarz into the net for a power play goal at 3:57.
Zuccarello helped the Rangers take their first lead at 7:10 when his slick feed off the rush sprung Smith in alone on Stolarz. Smith roofed a pretty backhand finish over Stolarz to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead that they carried into the second intermission.
NOTES: Flyers G Michal Neuvirth was released from Pennsylvania Hospital on Sunday afternoon and was home resting after collapsing in his crease during Saturday's game against the New Jersey Devils. Flyers General Manager Ron Hextall said Neuvirth will be re-evaluated on Monday. ... The Flyers scratched D Radko Gudas (upper body), RW Matt Read (upper body), C Nick Cousins, RW Mike Vecchione, and LW Roman Lyubimov. ... Rangers D Ryan McDonagh missed his second straight game with an unspecified ailment. ... The Rangers also scratched D Adam Clendening, D Steven Kampfer, LW Pavel Buchnevich, LW Matt Puempel, and C Brandon Pirri.