PHILADELPHIA — Steve Mason and Henrik Lundqvist proved why they are two of the Metropolitan Division's preeminant goaltenders on Saturday, as they combined for 83 saves in the Flyers' 3-2 shootout win over the New York Rangers.
Mason turned away 37 of 39 Rangers shots, while Lundqvist saved a remarkable 46 pucks. The 48 shots that the Flyers recorded are their most against the Rangers since April 6, 1978, as per the Elias Sports Bureau.
Mark Streit opened the scoring at 11:15 of the first period, giving him four points over the past two games. Scott Laughton scored as well, giving him his first goal of the season.
Sam Gagner and Claude Giroux each scored for the Flyers (4-2-1) in the shootout, while Mason made two more saves (yielding just one goal to Derek Stepan). Subsequently, the Flyers won their second-consecutive game that required extra time, and first game against a division rival.
The game took a scary turn early in the second period as Michael Raffl left the game with an upper-body injury, and did not return. Raffl had taken an errant elbow to the face from Jarret Stoll, but finished his shift. Upon his return to the bench, Raffl had collapsed, and was immediately taken to the dressing room to undergo concussion testing.
While the Flyers were able to establish leads, they did not last very long. Just 2:15 after Streit scored, J.T. Miller countered with his first goal of the season, and 2:41 after Laughton's goal, Derick Brassard tallied on a power play.
The Rangers (5-2-2) capitalized on one of three power play opportunities. The Flyers were scoreless on both of their power-play opportunities — including missing out on a Miller delay of game penalty with 3:25 left in regulation.
It's been a while since the Flyers and Rangers last met in overtime, with the last being in April 2011. Saturday's game was also the first shootout between the two teams since April 11, 2010 — the memorable shootout that sent the Flyers to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Of the Flyers' 18 skaters, 17 recorded at least one shot on goal, the only exception being Brandon Manning.
The Flyers next take the ice on Tuesday, when they welcome Jack Eichel and the Buffalo Sabres to Wells Fargo Center. The game will feature a pregame ceremony commemorating Danny Briere's retirement.
Rob Riches is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Riches61
