For the first time since last March, the Flyers welcomed the New York Rangers to town. That meant welcoming in the contingent of fans that travel for these road games turned home games for the Blueshirts. Less than two minutes into the game, they had plenty to cheer about.
The Rangers scored twice in the first 1:53 of the game, providing all the offense they needed in a 3-1 Flyers loss at Wells Fargo Center on Friday afternoon.
The Rangers got on the board right away with two quick strikes. Just 45 seconds into the game, the Rangers capitalized on an odd-man rush, as Blake Wheeler fed Mika Zibanejad for his third goal of the season to make it 1-0 Rangers.
Just 68 seconds later, the Rangers extended the lead. Off a face-off, Travis Sanheim turned the puck over to Chris Kreider, who immediately buried the shot for his 11th goal of the season to make it 2-0.
The remainder of the period featured scoring chances for both sides, as well as some physical play. Through 20 minutes, the Flyers had a 12-7 lead in shots.
Midway through the second period, the Rangers added to the lead again. Off another rush, Wheeler set up Zibanejad again, this time on a one-handed tip from the slot, to make it a 3-0 Rangers lead.
With 2:21 remaining in the second, the Flyers got some life by getting on the board. A Nick Seeler shot was deflected by Sean Couturier for his fifth goal of the season, cutting the lead to 3-1.
Through two periods, shots were 23-17 Flyers.
The Flyers had two more power-play opportunities in the third period, but failed to take advantage, going 0-for-6 on the afternoon. The Rangers had a shorthanded goal for Kreider called back after an offside challenge.
Igor Shesterkin finished the game with 36 saves on 37 shots in the win. Carter Hart made 16 saves on 19 shots in the loss.
Zibanejad, Kreider, and Wheeler each had two-point games.
The Flyers are right back on the ice on Saturday night to take on the New York Islanders at 7:30 p.m.
Box Score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | T | |
| Rangers | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Flyers | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Scoring Summary
1st Period
- NYR Mika Zibanejad (3) (Blake Wheeler, Chris Kreider) 0:45
- NYR Kreider (11) (Unassisted) 1:53
2nd Period
- NYR Zibanejad (4) (Wheeler, Erik Gustafsson) 7:41
- PHI Sean Couturier (5) (Nick Seeler, Cam Atkinson) 17:39
3rd Period
- No Scoring
Game Statistics
| Rangers | Flyers | |
| Shots | 19 | 37 |
| Power Play | 0/2 | 0/6 |
| Hits | 9 | 20 |
| Faceoff % | 54% | 46% |
| Giveaways | 7 | 4 |
| Takeaways | 8 | 4 |
| Blocked Shots | 14 | 13 |
| Penalty Minutes | 34 | 16 |
