Lundqvist sharp as Rangers edge Flyers
PHILADELPHIA -- Less than 48 hours after getting mowed down by the Pittsburgh Penguins, Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers got back on track with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers Friday afternoon at the Wells Fargo Center.
Forwards Derek Stepan, Matt Puempel and Kevin Hayes each scored goals and Lundqvist, who was pulled in Wednesday night's 6-1 loss to the Penguins, turned aside 40 of 42 shots to lead the Rangers (15-6-1) to their second win in three games.
Forward Chris VandeVelde and defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere scored for the Flyers (9-10-3), who lost three of their last four games to fall below .500 for the first time since Nov 11.
Steve Mason (5-8-3) took the loss, stopping 20 of 23 shots.
Stepan got things started 13:16 into the game when he netted his fourth goal of the season. J.T. Miller picked off Scott Laughton's pass intended for Brandon Manning and fed Stepan in front for his second goal in three games.
A pair of Rangers with similar stories took over from there.
Puempel, taken 24th overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 2011 NHL draft, was claimed off waivers by the Rangers on Monday and scored his first goal of the season in his Rangers debut at 14:50 of the first period. Puempel, 23, took a nice feed from Jimmy Vesey and beat Mason inside the left post on New York's sixth shot of the game for a 2-0 lead.
Hayes made it 3-0 midway through the second period with his 10th goal of the season, redirecting Nick Holden's point shot past Mason's glove hand.
Hayes, 24, is enjoying the best start of his NHL career. Taken 24th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010, Hayes never signed with the Hawks and joined the Rangers in 2014.
After a strong 17-goal, 45-point rookie season, Hayes' play dipped last season (14 goals, 36 points) but rebounded early in 2016-17. He is tied with Miller for the team lead with 19 points (10 goals, nine assists) and is second behind linemate Michael Grabner with a plus-16 rating.
The Flyers staged a late rally, drawing within 3-1 on a redirect goal by VandeVelde, his third of the season, with 1:34 gone in the third period. Gostisbehere drew the Flyers within 3-2 with 2:04 to play with a slapper from the point, but Lundqvist shut the door the rest of the way with four saves in the final 2 minutes.
NOTES: Rangers RW Pavel Buchnevich (back) sat out his seventh straight game while C Mika Zibanejad (broken fibula) missed his third. ... Flyers C Sean Couturier (knee) sat out his second straight game. D Michael Del Zotto, who played parts of five seasons with the Rangers, was a healthy scratch for the Flyers, along with D Nick Schultz. ... Rangers D Ryan McDonagh entered the game ranked second among NHL defensemen in primary (nine) and even-strength (10) assists. ... The Rangers return home for games against the Ottawa Senators on Sunday and Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. ... The Flyers continue their three-game homestand Sunday night against the Calgary Flames, followed by a Tuesday night visit by the Boston Bruins.