NHL Winter Classic 2012: Rangers Look to Extend Win Streak Against Flyers

The NHL Winter Classic is an event that has captivated the attention of millions of hockey fans around the world for the past four years. This year’s event however seems to have more at stake as the New York Rangers look to continue their dominance over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Up to this point, HBO’s 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic has done a great job chronicling the journey of both teams up to the event. Fans have been given a new perspective and insight into the lives of both teams. The Rangers and Flyers rivalry is rich and full of history that extends into the present day.

The New York Rangers are currently the number one team in the East and one of the best teams statistically in the entire NHL. Two points separate the two Classic participants so Monday’s game will be a high stakes and high-octane battle for bragging rights and dominance within the division and Eastern Conference.

The Rangers have defeated the Flyers in both regular season meetings in a solid fashion. The Broadway Blueshirts have outscored their Broad Street rivals by a tally of 6-2. In both games the Rangers have had the upper hand and have showed the world that they are finally a legitimate threat in the league.

It is this reason why this year’s Winter Classic may be the most exciting in recent years. Last season the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins had a tense buildup en route to the scenic outdoor extravaganza but this year’s tension is so palpable and fresh.

The rivalry and hatred of both teams coupled with the fact that the game will have an impact on each team’s position in the standings ensures a few things for Monday afternoon. The game will ooze intensity and action and here is why.

The showdown at Citizens Bank Park will most certainly feature fighting and physicality. Both teams love to grind, check and out work their opponents up and down the ice. Both teams also have willing players who will sacrifice their well being at a moment's notice.

Episode three of 24/7 gave a preview to a heavyweight bout that could occur on Monday. In the blue corner stood Mike Rupp, a 6'5", 230-pound forward chirping at his potential opponent from the orange corner Jody Shelley. Both men are experienced enforcers with a personal history who have no problem dropping the gloves with one another. I expect them to get involved in a fracas or two before the game in Philadelphia comes to a close.

The game's atmosphere lends itself to hostility on the ice. Both fan bases have no problem being loud and telling it how it is. Players have this keen ability to feed off the crowd's energy and that should be evident on Monday.

You can talk to fans from Madison Square Garden or the Wachovia Center and they will tell you that they will scream their lungs out for their beloved team.

This game also has the potential to give both teams a huge momentum boost as both teams are working hard to pickup as many points as they can before the competition becomes more tough and taxing down the stretch of the regular season before the playoffs.

The Rangers have been able to win many games so far including two over the Flyers this year because of their goaltending, defense and capable forwards.

Henrik Lundqvist has continued to  prove night in and night out to be the best goaltender in his division if not the league and the Eastern Conference. He has put the team on his back for seven years and now he has some help in carrying the load and he is as solid, sharp and fresh as ever before. 

A healthy, rested, and focused Lundqvist could be the deciding factor on whether or not the Rangers will be a true Stanley Cup threat.

Also, defenseman like Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh, and Michael Del Zotto has all played a huge role in the success of this team.

They have stepped up in the extended absence of Marc Staal and Michael Sauer and have had made no excuses and have logged major ice time minutes without complaining or showing evident signs of breaking down.

Last but not least, the Rangers finally have a group of forwards that are putting up points and doing the little things needed to win. Marian Gaborik is scoring goals again, Derek Stepan has had a breakout sophomore season and Brad Richards is slowly but surely fitting in on Broadway.

Other players like Artem Anisimov, Ryan Callahan and Carl Hagelin are also making sizable contributions to this club. When you look at the balance and talent of this team it is easy to understand why they are doing so well.

This team appears to have hit their stride as they went 10-4-1 in a very difficult and taxing December. Their great play has only upped the anticipation and excitement for Monday's Winter Classic spectacular.

Here is some information that will be useful in order to watch the game and some facts you may not know about the two participants

Television Information

Date: January 2,2012

Time: 1:00 PM

Network: NBC 

Additional Coverage: NHL Network, NBC Sports, MSG Networks, CSN

Tale of the Tape

Team Record

NYR: 23-9-4; 50 Points

PHI: 22-10-4; 48 Points

Coaches

NYR: John Tortorella ( 355-307-37-60; 2003-04 Stanley Cup Winner)

PHI: Peter Laviolette (341-241-25-55; 2006-07 Stanley Cup Winner)

Top Scorers

PHI: Claude Giroux ( 17 Goals—28 Assists—45 Points)

NYR: Marian Gaborik ( 21 Goals—11 Assists;—33 Points)

Goaltenders

NYR: Henrik Lundqvist ( 16-7-4 1.91 G.A.A. and .937 Save Percentage)

PHI: Ilya Bryzgalov ( 14-8-3 3.01 G.A.A. and .890 Save Percentage)

With all the buildup this game should be one for the ages. The Rangers will look to become 3-0 against the Flyers this year and on the flip side the Flyers will look to end their skid against the Rangers. Hopefully the event goes off without a hitch and the weather is cold enough to remind the fans and players of the joys of pond hockey in years past.

Tom Urtz, Jr. is an NHL featured columnist. For NHL news, updates and alerts about players: