3 Rounds is a three-part series. Writers select what they feel is the most important individual match-up in the upcoming playoff series and give it an in-depth preview. The second piece is a mid-series assessment of that match-up. In the final installment, we analyze how the match-up contributed to the outcome of the series. If our match-up isn’t the difference-maker, we’ll explore the match-up that DID make the difference.
The New York Rangers and The Philadelphia Flyers are set to meet in the first round and game one goes down tonight, in New York at Madison Square Garden. It will be a clash between The Flyers’ strength and power versus the Rangers’ defense and finesse. This will mark Craig Berube’s first post-season appearance behind the bench and Alain Vigneault’s first post-season run as head coach of the New York Rangers.
The Match-up: Flyers versus Rangers
Home ice could prove to be a critical aspect in this series. During the regular season, the Rangers and Flyers came to a 2-2 split, with all decisions going to the home team. If that wasn’t bad enough, the Flyers are winless in Madison Square Garden since the 2010-11 season.
Claude Giroux (86 points) will lead the Orange charge on offense. He’s one of seven 20-goal scorers on the team; Lecavalier (20), B. Schenn (20), Hartnell (20), Read (22), Voracek (23) and Simmonds (29). While Chris Kreider remains out with a hand injury, Derek Brassard could be back in the line-up. Rick Nash was heating up towards the end of the season and Martin St. Louis adds a whole new dynamic to the team offensively, especially on the powerplay. The question remains whether they can match the Flyers onslaught of offensive magic. The one shining light at the end of the tunnel is that their forward group has become tightly-knitted under the coaching of Vigneault and they have developed the chemistry to ice nine players with at least 14 goals, a league best.
Advantage: Flyers
Ryan McDonagh will be back in action and alongside Marc Staal, Dan Girardi and the rest of the gang, the Flyers simply don’t have an answer to match the Rangers depth at the blue-line. New York’s back-end squad has been crucial in limiting shots and scoring chances to keep games very close but just out of reach for their opponents.
Advantage: Rangers
Henrik Lundqvist may be one of the most reliable goaltenders in the NHL today and with him guarding the Ranger net, as confident as he is, it gives the team a huge morale boost. To add to that, Cam Talbot has been stellar this season and serves as an excellent back-up. On the Flyers end, Steve Mason will not play in game 1 due to an injury suffered at the end of the regular season, so in comes Ray Emery. A near 3 GAA and a .903 save percentage doesn’t seem convincing on paper and even less convincing when his goaltending opponent is the King.
Advantage: Rangers
Alain Vigneault has been to the dance on numerous occasions. His most memorable run was in the spring of 2011 when he led a Vancouver Canucks team all the way to game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals, losing to the Boston Bruins. The team that year had also won the President’s Trophy. While Craig Berube has been one of the biggest reasons the Flyers team turned their game around, he is still a rookie coach heading into his first post-season as head coach. Experience plays a huge factor.
Advantage: Rangers
With the Flyers and Rangers equally matched in powerplay success and both are a top-10 team on the penalty kill, the biggest indicator that separates these two teams is 5-on-5 play. In goal differential, the Rangers are a plus-10 while the Flyers are a minus-4. That gap in even strength play could be a deciding factor in who runs away with the series.
Advantage: Rangers
Who to look out for
For the Rangers: Henrik Lundqvist
It’s time for King Hank to strap this team on his back and carry them through the playoffs. Playing behind one of the deepest and efficient defensive groups, Lundqvist will have his work cut out for him. On the grandest stage, Lundqvist has made a habit out of frustrating opponents and keeping his team in a game that almost seems hopeless. With the forward and defense groups gelling together, Lundqvist at his best will make the Rangers a very dangerous team going forward.
For the Flyers: Wayne Simmonds
One forward that lives and breathes Flyers hockey is none other than Wayne Simmonds. Leading the Flyers in goals, Simmonds can use his big body to crash the net or simply park himself in front of Lundqvist to create a perfect screen. Playing on the second line with Brayden Schenn, these two will have themselves a ball if they can get behind the Rangers defense and set shop in the slot and into the face of Lundqvist.
Final Say
The Flyers will have a grueling task ahead of them. They are out-matched and out-powered at almost every facet of the game against the Rangers and MSG has become a haunting nightmare for them. Even at forward, the one category they hold over the Blueshirts is just a slight edge. Berube will have to keep his team disciplined at all times and keep the game plan of chippy-style hockey to remain consistent over 60 minutes. For the Rangers, their chemistry will need to provide results and that goes for Martin St. Louis and Rick Nash especially. On paper, the Rangers should be able to take care of business. On the ice, that remains to be seen. A series that spans over two weeks, all you need is for a goaltender to get hot and a forward to find his scoring touch. The question is, can Emery be that show-stopper out of the blue?
Series Predictions From Our Hockey Department:
Max Vasilyev (93% correct last year): Flyers in seven games.
Mitchell Tierney (64% correct last year): Rangers in seven games.
Ben Kerr (57% correct last year): Flyers in six games.
Russell McKenzie (57% correct last year): Rangers in six games.
Aaron Wrotkowski: Flyers in seven games.
Ken Hill: Rangers in six games.
Charlie Clarke: Flyers in six games.
Shawn Wilken: Flyers in six games.
Dan Rocchi: Flyers in six games.
Cristiano Simonetta: Flyers in seven games.
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