Flyers at Rangers
THE STORY: Although the Winter Classic is well over one month away, the Atlantic Division rival New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers will give their respective fans a tasty appetizer on Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. New York will vie for its first six-game home winning streak in nearly 15 years when it hosts Philadelphia, which is playing some solid hockey away from the City of Brotherly Love. The Flyers enter their four-game road trip with a 7-2-1 mark away from the Wells Fargo Center. On Friday, both clubs emerged victorious as Claude Giroux netted a pair of goals as Philadelphia scored three times in the second period en route to a 3-1 triumph over the Montreal Canadiens. "This year he’s really spread his wings,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said of Giroux, who has 10 points in his last six games. “He’s consistently one of the top forwards in the game.” For its part, New York received a pair of goals from former Flyer Ruslan Fedotenko to post a 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals.
TV: 2 p.m. ET, NHLN, CSP
ABOUT THE FLYERS (13-6-3): Jakub Voracek collected a goal and an assist in Friday's victory over the Canadiens. He has two goals and nine assists in his last eight games. While Philadelphia is 8-3-2 in its last 13 games, it will be hard-pressed to continue that stretch as significant injuries are hitting Laviolette's club. Talented left wing James van Riemsdyk will be sidelined one-to-two weeks with an upper body injury. He joins captain Chris Pronger (virus) and veteran Jaromir Jagr (groin) on the sideline.
ABOUT THE RANGERS (11-5-3): Captain Ryan Callahan has certainly endeared himself to the Blueshirts faithful. Callahan collected a career-high three assists on Friday and has amassed six points (four goals, two assists) during the team's home winning streak. The Rangers have struggled on the power play, but finally broke an 0-for-14 slide when Artem Anisimov tallied in the second period Friday.
OVERTIME:
1. New York's Andre Deveaux was handed a three-game suspension from the NHL following his hit on Tomas Fleischmann of the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. He sat out Friday's contest and will do the same on Saturday.
2. Former Flyers star Eric Lindros and ex-Rangers great Brian Leetch have been tabbed to play in the Winter Classic Alumni Game on New Year's Eve. The present-day clubs will square off on New Year's Day at Citizens Bank Park.