Rangers vs Flyers, game two starts at noon Eastern Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York. The Rangers took game one of the series 4-1 on one of the more lopsided games of the 2014 NHL Playoffs so far. Don’t look for the hard-hitting Philadelphia Flyers to take it lying down, though. Look for another epic battle of bruisers vs finesse players in tonight’s Flyers vs Rangers matchup.
For one thing, the Flyers are expecting the return of their number one net minder, Steve Mason. Mason was injured last week playing against Sid the Kid Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins , but is expected to be between the pipes for this afternoon’s Flyers vs Rangers game. An AP report quotes Mason, who has been practicing since Friday, as saying this about the prospect of playing at MSG today:
“I felt pretty good for being on the ice for the first time in a couple of days. It was a good step. I felt great movement-wise. It was a pretty controlled setting and it felt good. I’ll know exactly when I am ready to go physically, but it is also a management and doctor’s decision, as well. This is the time that you’ve worked all season to get to, and to see the team go out there in a playoff atmosphere at Madison Square Garden where the stakes are so high… it’s something that you don’t want to be sitting out and watching. It was difficult, especially since the result. I think everybody expects a much better game on Sunday. I don’t think anybody was happy with the way the team played.”
Mason’s counterpart, Philadelphia goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, kept the victory in game one of the Flyers vs Rangers series in perspective:
“We are not going to overthink it here. We did a lot of good things, and we are going to continue building on that. It’s one game, and we start over again on Sunday. You have to earn it every night.”
Philadelphia’s loss in game one of the Rangers vs Flyers series can’t really be blamed on the backup goaltending, though. Their backup was solid, giving up only one goal int he first two periods. Two of the other goals came while the Flyers were shorthanded during a double minor penalty. If Philadelphia wants to win in the Garden, the bottom line is they’re going to have to get more quality shots at the net. The Rangers outshot the Flyers 36-15 on Thursday.
Don’t miss any of the action once the Flyers vs Rangers game starts at noon today. If you’re not near a TV or the Rangers vs Flyers game isn’t covered in your area, watch it live online streaming here .
