NHL Expert Picks: New York Rangers at Philadelphia Flyers

New York is certainly out for revenge after Philadelphia outlasted them 2-1 on the final game of the season to claim the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.  “I’d say revenge is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of this game,” said defensemen Michael Del Zotto.  “The guys that are here from last year know how heartbreaking it was.”  The Rangers enter tonight’s contest having defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2, on Monday night at Madison Square Garden and have won five of their last seven games.  Following this game, New York will travel to New Jersey to face-off against the Devils, to close out the third of 18 back-to-back sets this season.  The team is 4-2 when playing against teams with a winning record.

The Rangers are doing a good job of keeping their record above .500 in having lost 32 total man-games to injuries or illness this season.  Chris Drury and Marian Gaborik have each missed eight games with a broken finger and shoulder injury respectively.  Gaborik has stressed that there is still no timetable for his return to the lineup or to rejoin the club in practice.  “I’ll take it day by day,” he stated.  “I don’t want to say there’s a timetable or when I’ll play.  My range is pretty good.  I’ve just got to get it pain free.”  Left winger Brandon Dubinsky has stepped up his play and scored twice in Monday’s 3-2 win over Chicago, giving him seven goals through 11 games.

Philadelphia picked up a 3-2 victory over Carolina on Monday and will be looking to win five straight games for the first time since March 2, 2010.  “Everyone contributed and the biggest strength to me is that this team and everybody is playing for one another,” said coach John Tortorella.  “That’s a good thing here early in the year.”  The Flyers will be without Danny Briere in this contest due to still serving a three-game suspension and will miss his six goals in the first 10 games.  The team still managed to win 40 of 66 faceoffs against the Hurricanes, which was the best performance as a team this season.  “It’s an underrated part of the game,” said Claude Giroux.  Philadelphia is 3-1 versus division opponents.

The Flyers received a two-goal contribution from Scott Hartnell on Monday night that softened the blow of the missing Briere.  “We don’t change things up from line to line,” said Hartnell.  “We try to play relentless Flyers hockey, get it in, cycle, change sides and get to the net.”  Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has been a big part of the team’s recent surge, starting in all four games, posting a 2.00 goals-against-average and a .934 save percentage.

Bettors may back the Rangers due to their 5-0 mark as an underdog, while the Flyers are 19-7 versus the Eastern Conference.