The Flyers jumped out to an early lead thanks to Andrew MacDonald, but it wasn't nearly enough to get the game 1 win. After a stagnant second period, rookie Jason Akeson got a little loose with his stick and slapped Carl Hagelin's mug in the neutral zone. This led to a four minute double minor that the Rangers took advantage of with 2 goals to push the score to 3-1. From that point the Flyers just looked sloppy and coasted to a 4-1 finish. They now trail in the series to New York 0-1.
The Flyers looked sharp and disciplined out of the gate. No one crossed into the offensive zone without tons of support from the rest of the team. It seemed like there was orange and black everywhere. Play like this would make you think the team had a shot on goal in the first seven minutes, but nope. Still, when Andrew MacDonald took the teams first shot on goal he beat Hank Lundqvist. Most of the credit on that goal goes to Scott Hartnell, who fed MacDonald a beautiful assist from behind the net. MacDonald snatched it at the blue line and rocketed it past Hank to make it 1-0.
Mats Zuccarello scored the Rangers' first period goal to make it 1-1 at the break. After what seemed like an eternity of the Rangers possessing the puck in the Flyers' zone it finally paid off for the Rangers as after Zuccarello found the puck on a rebound that no one could control and put it past Emery.
There was no scoring in the second, which sadly may have been the Flyers best offensive period with 8 whole shots on goal.
After getting to the 7:25 minute mark in the third with the score still only 1-1 the wheels completely fell off for the Flyers. Jason Akeson, who in all honesty was playing a good game to this point, hit Carl Hagelin in the face with a high stick to earn a 4 minute penalty. Akeson wasn't doing it maliciously, it looked like a pure rookie mistake.
This penalty was the turning point for the Rangers. Brad Richards made it 2-1 after scoring off a puck that deflected off Timonen's skate on a cross-ice pass. Derek Stepan made it 3-1 only 47 seconds later. Stepan was sneakily waiting to the right of Emery and was too quick on a pass from the top of the zone, sneaking it past Emery's leg.
Either a Flyers got sloppy or the refs did from this point out. There was literally less than a minute of full 5-on-5 play afterward. The Flyers were constantly man down, thanks to the remainder of Akeson's penalty as well as penalties from Giroux, Rinaldo and Schenn.
Hagelin himself earned the final goal for New York to make it 4-1, the final score.
Akeson's penalty was a dagger, no doubt, but he can't be blamed for the loss. There was a lackluster level of play, mostly by the forwards, the entire game. For Christ's sake, the Flyers has1 shot on goal the entire third period! 15 in the game, compared to New York's 36.
Giroux didn't have a single shot on goal tonight and will need to pick it up for Sunday as the team tends to live or die by his stick. It looked a little like he may not have been 100% health-wise either. After taking a cheap shot to the back early in the first. Hopefully I'm wrong and this is a non-issue, just one bad game.
Ray Emery kept the Flyers in this as long as he could and definitely was the most effective Flyer tonight. That being said, expect to see Mason in net on Saturday. (and probably Steve Downie in place of Akeson)
Game 2 is on Easter Sunday at noon, so you can avoid talking to your family for a bit. Let's get it!
-Ben Lebo
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
Mats Zuccarello scored the Rangers' first period goal to make it 1-1 at the break. After what seemed like an eternity of the Rangers possessing the puck in the Flyers' zone it finally paid off for the Rangers as after Zuccarello found the puck on a rebound that no one could control and put it past Emery.
There was no scoring in the second, which sadly may have been the Flyers best offensive period with 8 whole shots on goal.
After getting to the 7:25 minute mark in the third with the score still only 1-1 the wheels completely fell off for the Flyers. Jason Akeson, who in all honesty was playing a good game to this point, hit Carl Hagelin in the face with a high stick to earn a 4 minute penalty. Akeson wasn't doing it maliciously, it looked like a pure rookie mistake.
This penalty was the turning point for the Rangers. Brad Richards made it 2-1 after scoring off a puck that deflected off Timonen's skate on a cross-ice pass. Derek Stepan made it 3-1 only 47 seconds later. Stepan was sneakily waiting to the right of Emery and was too quick on a pass from the top of the zone, sneaking it past Emery's leg.
Either a Flyers got sloppy or the refs did from this point out. There was literally less than a minute of full 5-on-5 play afterward. The Flyers were constantly man down, thanks to the remainder of Akeson's penalty as well as penalties from Giroux, Rinaldo and Schenn.
Hagelin himself earned the final goal for New York to make it 4-1, the final score.
Akeson's penalty was a dagger, no doubt, but he can't be blamed for the loss. There was a lackluster level of play, mostly by the forwards, the entire game. For Christ's sake, the Flyers has1 shot on goal the entire third period! 15 in the game, compared to New York's 36.
Giroux didn't have a single shot on goal tonight and will need to pick it up for Sunday as the team tends to live or die by his stick. It looked a little like he may not have been 100% health-wise either. After taking a cheap shot to the back early in the first. Hopefully I'm wrong and this is a non-issue, just one bad game.
Ray Emery kept the Flyers in this as long as he could and definitely was the most effective Flyer tonight. That being said, expect to see Mason in net on Saturday. (and probably Steve Downie in place of Akeson)
Game 2 is on Easter Sunday at noon, so you can avoid talking to your family for a bit. Let's get it!
-Ben Lebo
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
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