There was a simple pattern going into the series between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers; the home team always wins.The Rangers could not figure out the Flyers offense in Philadelphia and the Broadstreet Bullies hadn’t won a game in Madison Square Garden since 2011. Patterns tend to change however and they sure did in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
It was the battle of rookie coaching, albeit different situations. Alain Vigneault is no fresh blood in the world of hockey management but this was his first year as the head coach of the Rangers. At the other end, Craig Berube was participating in his first ever season as head coach in the NHL and took the Flyers, an abysmal team coming out of the gates, all the way to game seven of the first round in the post-season. Credit goes to both coaches who managed their teams’ weaknesses and gave their clubs the best chance at winning. Sadly, only one team could make it out of the series.
All signs pointed to the Rangers winning, despite my attempt to pull a rabbit out of the hat and take the Flyers to win. The Blueshirts had it all — almost: An offense that was on par with the Flyers offense most of the time, a better defensive core, better goaltending, more experienced coaching, better special teams play and better five on five. Factor in their dominance in Madison Square Garden and the fact that they had home-ice advantage in a seven game series, there was no way that the Flyers could go the distance. No stair climbing or meat-boxing could propel Giroux and company to the second round. They almost did though, putting a scare into the Rangers and their fans.
Wayne Simmonds was the player I had pegged as someone who could make a difference in this series. For the most part he was quiet, scoring just one goal leading up to game six — an empty netter. Yet in game six, when it all mattered, Simmonds would elevate his performance to another level and score three goals to lead the Flyers to victory and force a game seven. With Giroux putting up six points in six games and youngsters Jakub Voracek and Brayden Schenn adding some offensive assistance, as well as the Philly crowd standing proudly behind their team, there was a belief that they stood a chance. They figured out the Rangers defense, found a way to get pucks behind Lundqvist and Madison Square Garden was no longer a nightmare to play in.
Steve Mason, coming back from injury to replace Ray Emery, provided the Flyers with consistently competent goaltending. Even in defeat, there were no fingers pointing towards Mason. At the other end, Lundqvist found himself getting pulled in game six after allowing five goals on 23 shots. Perhaps his only average performance, King Henrik sat comfortably on his throne while giving his team a chance to win in each game. The one bad game aside, Lundqvist gave up 11 goals in the other six games, while allowing more than four goals just once. He allowed just one goal in four of the seven games as well.
On the Rangers side of the affair, their offense proved to be good enough to match the Flyers onslaught. Eight different players scored two goals in the series, including the likes of Dominic Moore and Daniel Carcillo. Secondary scoring came from Mats Zuccarello and Carl Hagelin, while Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards led the way with six points each — both scoring two and adding four assists. Brad Richards was held goalless but managed to put up four assists regardless.
While it’s no surprise that Marc Staal led the way defensively with a +6, leading the team in that department and Kevin Klein not far behind with a +5, what IS surprising is Ryan McDonagh’s -2 rating. Coming back from an injury late in the season, McDonagh had some rust to work through and get comfortable enough to perform in post-season hockey but the Rangers will need to be able to rely on him as they butt heads with a very offensive-minded Pittsburgh Penguins, especially if he continues to average 25 minutes of ice time against the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
The Flyers may be one-and-done but they have a lot to be proud of. Turning their season around under a new coaching staff, rising stars in their top nine and capable goaltending in the most unlikeliest of places in Steve Mason, this team isn’t going anywhere in the future. In the past unfortunately, they are headed to the golf course.
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