Rangers at Flyers
The New York Rangers will attempt to regroup from their worst defeat of the season when they pay a visit to the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday afternoon. The Rangers kicked off a home-and-home series with a 5-2 drubbing at Pittsburgh on Monday, only to be steamrolled at home by the defending Stanley Cup champion two nights later.
"I can't explain to you at this time exactly what happened," New York coach Alain Vigneault told reporters after Wednesday's 6-1 beating. "The players are disappointed in our game. I know our fans are disappointed." The Rangers have scored a league-best 82 goals and sit atop the Metropolitan Division despite dropping three of their last four (1-2-1). The Flyers are coming off a brutal defeat of their own as they surrendered three third-period goals - including a pair just 12 seconds apart - in a 4-2 loss at Tampa Bay. Philadelphia is playing its next three at home, where it has yet to win back-to-back games this season.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, NBC
ABOUT THE RANGERS (14-6-1): The Penguins have been a nemesis for Henrik Lundqvist, who was yanked Wednesday but has a strong track record against Philadelphia with a 31-13-4 record - his second-highest win total against any opponent. Rick Nash has scored in back-to-back contests after netting one goal in his previous eight games and is one of 14 New York players with at least 10 points. Kevin Hayes is tied with J.T. Miller with a team-high 18 points, but he has zero goals in nine contests versus the Flyers.
ABOUT THE FLYERS (9-9-3): Ivan Provorov, Philadelphia's first-round pick (No. 7 overall) in 2015, finally scored his first NHL goal in his 21st game against Tampa Bay. Provorov also picked up an assist on a tally by Dale Weise, who has goals in back-to-back games after failing to score in his first 15 contests. The Flyers have allowed the most tallies in the Eastern Conference with 72 and now must move ahead without their best defensive forward in Sean Couturier, who will be sidelined four to six weeks with a sprained MCL.
OVERTIME
1. New York has won three straight against the Flyers, including its last two visits to Philadelphia in a shootout.
2. The Flyers have the second-ranked power play in the league, converting 19-of-74 chances (25.7 percent).
3. The Rangers have successfully killed 16 of their 17 penalties in the last six games.