NHL Winter Classic 2012: Flyers Will Need a Boost from Claude Giroux

Though there is still a lot of hockey left to be played this season, the general consensus is that the Winter Classic between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers is a must-win for the home team.

It's easy to see why. The Flyers have slipped to fourth in the Eastern Conference, and the conference-leading Rangers have already beaten them twice. A third defeat at the hands of the Rangers won't kill the Flyers' season by any means, but it would certainly send a loud message.

There's no need to tell Flyers head coach Peter Laviolette just how important this game is. Despite the fact that his team is paying Ilya Bryzgalov the big bucks, he's made the decision to start Sergei Bobrovsky and his hot hand in net. Ideally, Bob's presence will help even things out a little bit, as the Rangers have outscored the Flyers, 6-2, in two games.

Goal prevention is obviously pretty important, but the Flyers' struggles to score their own goals against the Rangers should not be overlooked. They haven't been able to put the puck in the net, and that's something you can chalk up to the Rangers' handling of Claude Giroux.

Giroux has been, without a doubt, the most effective scorer in the NHL this season. In a mere 32 games, he's accounted for 45 points, a figure that ranks second in the league behind Henrik Sedin (who has played seven more games than Giroux). The Flyers should be able to count on him against the Rangers.

But that hasn't been the case. In two games against the Broadway Blueshirts, Giroux hasn't notched a single point. The Rangers have wrapped him up as well as any team could hope to.

You have to give a lot of credit for that to Rangers netminder Henrik Lundqvist, but you also have to credit New York's defense in general. The Rangers are allowing just 2.06 goals per game this season, and they're allowing fewer than 30 shots per game.

It therefore fits that Giroux managed just three shots against the Rangers in the first two meetings between these two teams.

But for a player as talented as Giroux, you can't make excuses. He needs to get it done, no matter what it takes.

If Bob can get things done in net, the Flyers are going to have a shot to win the Winter Classic. But their offense must break through, and that effort will be on Giroux's shoulders. If he is held in check again, winning this game is going to be a tall task for the Flyers.

The game is already underway and nobody has scored yet. That's your excuse to keep your eyes on Giroux.