November's been a bit of a dismal month for the Flyers — after all, they ran out of steam from their 4-1-1 start and stand at 4-6-3 in games played this month. In games they've showed up for, they've blown more than their fair share of late leads, and still managed to not show up for games as well.
They've been out-shot, have fallen behind in a variety of possession metrics, and have seen their offensive numbers fall not just to last in the league, but to historically-bad levels as well. The team has also seen several players struggle with injuries, and Dave Hakstol has had to make a slew of lineup changes.
But the good news for the Flyers(8-10-5) is that the month is now over. Unfortunately, it ends with a trip to a building that has not been hospitable to them at all in the past several seasons — as they head to Madison Square Garden for a matinee contest with the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Rangers.
Both teams are playing in the second game of a back-to-back set — with the Rangers (16-5-2) falling 4-3 to Boston on Friday, and the Flyers beating Nashville 3-2 in overtime in their annual Black Friday day game.
The Flyers and Rangers have essentially been like oil and water in the month of November. Where the Flyers have faltered, the Rangers have established themselves as not just one of the Metro's best teams, but one of the NHL's best teams. They've won nine of 12 games played this month — even carrying a nine-game winning streak over from October — and have looked human against Tampa Bay, Montreal and the Bruins.
While the Rangers have enjoyed a successful month, they've fallen as of late. Two of their three November losses came this week, falling 5-1 to the NHL-best Canadiens on Wednesday and 4-3 to a mediocre Bruins squad on Friday. The Flyers held their own against one of the Central Division's best teams, and will look to keep the Rangers in a funk.
The Rangers will also be without the services of one of their top centermen in Derek Stepan, who is out indefinitely after sustaining broken ribs after a hard hit from Matt Beleskey in Friday's loss.
Leading the way offensively for the Rangers is Mats Zuccarello, who is averaging nearly a point-per-game pace with 10 goals and 21 points through 22 games this season. However, Zuccarello has been held without a point in each of his last three games, and this (still brief) slump is just one reason why the Rangers have been slowed in their last two games. With eight goals and as many assists, Rick Nash is none too far behind, and with 15 points apiece, Derick Brassard and rookie Oscar Lindberg (6-9-15 and 8-7-15, respectively) have proven themselves as scoring threats as well.
The Flyers and Rangers will meet for the second time in their five-game season series. Currently, the Orange and Black hold a 1-0-0 series lead.
Game Notes
- Power Play: Flyers (23rd, 19th on road), Rangers (10th, 19th at home)
- Penalty Kill: Flyers (17th, 14th on road), Rangers (9th, 5th at home)
- In the last meeting between both teams on Oct. 24, the Flyers won 3-2 in a shootout.
- The Flyers have been winless in regular-season games at Madison Square Garden since Feb. 20, 2011, going 0-10-0 in that span.
Flyers Projected Lineup
Line 1: Michael Raffl-Claude Giroux-Brayden Schenn
Line 2: Matt Read-Sean Couturier-Wayne Simmonds
Line 3: Nick Cousins-Pierre-Edouard Bellemare-Jakub Voracek
Line 4: Chris VandeVelde-Scott Laughton-Colin McDonald
D-Pair 1: Michael Del Zotto-Radko Gudas
D-Pair 2: Nick Schultz-Luke Schenn
D-Pair 3: Shayne Gostisbehere-Evgeny Medvedev
Goalie: Steve Mason
Scratches: Brandon Manning, Vincent Lecavalier, Ryan White, Mark Streit, R.J. Umberger, Sam Gagner
Where to Watch:
TV: CSN
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Rob Riches is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
