Winter Classic 2012: Bold Predictions for Hockey's Crown Jewel

The Rangers are going to take down the Flyers in a low-scoring 2012 Winter Classic. These two teams are going to be hyped to put on a show for fans in this high-profile game. This is going to lead to an energetic and intense game. 

Read on to see how it is going to play out. 

There Will Be Three or Fewer Goals Scored

To state the obvious, this game is going to played outside, and that means the weather is going to be a factor. Take a look at the weather forecast on The Weather Channel, and you'll see it is going to be windy. 

You know what hockey players aren't used to dealing with? Yep, wind. 

This is going to throw off the players and disrupt passes and shots. Also helping keep the scores down will be the goalie Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers' goalie is playing fantastic, and will bring a .937 save percentage to this game. 

Mike Rupp and Jodey Shelby Will Fight

This big mouthed Ranger is not escaping this game without getting into a fight. Rupp's verbal assaults on the Flyers' Joe Shelby were just on display for the whole world on HBO's 24/7. 

Among other things, Rupp could be heard calling Shelby “irrelevant." 

Shelby isn't going to let this public calling out go by without some sort of answer, and that answer is going to come via his fists. 

Rangers Win

With the weather presenting certain difficulties, shots are going to be harder to come by, and this is going to place even more value on the goalies. The Rangers are going to win this battle. 

As we discussed above, Lundqvist is playing great hockey. Meanwhile, the Flyers are going through a transition phase in goal. 

Joe Yerdon of Pro Hockey Talk reported that Sergei Bobrovsky will be starting in the net in place of Ilya Bryzgalov.

Bryzgalov has played solid in his limited duty, but this will be his first real test in a huge spotlight, and he will not be able to keep up with Lundqvist. 

Rangers win 2-1.