Flyers-Rangers: Game 26 Preview

Kevin Durso

March 15 2021

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor

Yet another series against the same opponent ahead of the Flyers in the standings came and went in the past week. It was once again a rough one, as the Flyers were certainly competitive during those games, but too little too late each time, as mistakes continued to dominate the play of this team.

As such, the Flyers enter the current week with four more games on the schedule. The third one will mark the halfway point of the season, and as that approaches, they are currently three points out of a playoff spot and chasing the season once again.

Perhaps the start of this week can provide the spark for the Flyers. They are playing the New York Rangers, another team not in the playoff picture. These are games the Flyers need to have in order to keep up in the race and make the head-to-head matchups against the top teams in the division more meaningful as the season progresses.

Game time is at 7 p.m.

Team Leaders

Philadelphia Flyers	GP	G	A	P	New York Rangers	GP	G	A	P
James van Riemsdyk	25	12	16	28	Pavel Buchnevich	26	8	14	22
Joel Farabee	24	11	11	22	Chris Kreider	26	14	5	19
Kevin Hayes	25	9	11	20	Ryan Strome	26	10	9	19
Claude Giroux	23	5	14	19	Artemi Panarin	15	5	14	19
Sean Couturier	15	6	12	18	Adam Fox	26	2	13	15

Ivan Provorov has had his share of struggles this season along with every other defenseman on the roster. But he is easily the ice-time leader and defender thrown into the high pressure situations. Players need to step up during these struggles, and Provorov is definitely one of them.

The Flyers have faced the Rangers twice this season. Artemi Panarin played in the first game and made a clear impact, with an assist and a goal in the shootout in a 3-2 win in the skills competition. Panarin didn't play in the second game, and his absence was certainly noticeable. He's back in the lineup for the Rangers now and could be in for a big game.

Carter Hart was thrown back into action on Saturday night after Brian Elliott struggled in goal. Hart took the loss, allowing two goals in relief, and the Flyers have no choice but to turn back to him despite his confidence taking a huge hit in the last few weeks. Much like the rest of the team, Hart is looking to get that on the right track starting on Monday night.

Keith Kinkaid picked up his first win of the season on Saturday by pitching a shutout, making 18 saves in a defensively dominant performance by the Rangers. Kinkaid has made two starts and two relief appearances in the last week, and it's likely he gets the call again for the Rangers.

Projected Lineups

Flyers Scratches: Morgan Frost (injury), Brian Elliott (healthy), Erik Gustafsson (healthy), Robert Hagg (healthy), Andy Andreoff (healthy)

Rangers Scratches: Igor Shesterkin (injured), Anthony Bitetto (injured), Phillip Di Giuseppe (COVID protocol), Julien Gauthier (healthy), Jack Johnson (healthy)

Lineup Notes

Flyers: Michael Raffl is will return to the lineup, so Andy Andreoff will come out. There are no other changes to the lineup, but Alex Lyon will serve as backup to Carter Hart for the game. Brian Elliott is healthy, but was given extra work in the morning skate since the team is not skating on Tuesday and will have the night off.
Rangers: The Rangers are primarily healthy at the moment. Phillip Di Giuseppe was a late addition to the COVID list on Sunday, but other than that, they have the majority of the lineup available.

Game Notes

Power Play: Flyers (T-20th), Rangers (27th)
Penalty Kill: Flyers (27th), Rangers (3rd)
Recent History vs. Rangers
- Feb. 18, 2021 – Rangers 3, Flyers 2 (F/SO) (at PHI)
- Feb. 24, 2021 – Flyers 4, Rangers 3 (at PHI)
Flyers Leaders vs. Rangers
- Claude Giroux – 57 GP, 12 G, 42 A, 54 P
- Jake Voracek – 42 GP, 13 G, 23 A, 36 P
- Sean Couturier – 36 GP, 6 G, 17 A, 23 P
- Carter Hart – 5 GP, 3-1-1, 2.17 GAA, .925 SV%
Milestone Watch
- Ivan Provorov needs two assists to reach 100 for his career.