NHL Winter Classic 2012: Resilient Rangers Best Flyers in Outdoor Matinee

The New York Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 in the NHL Winter Classic. It was a great matchup between the two bitter Atlantic Division rivals. The game came down to goaltending and it was the Rangers' advantage against the Flyers.

The Rangers went down early 2-0 in the second period after some big breaks for Philadelphia. An errant puck found its way onto Brayden Schenn's stick and Claude Giroux capitalized on a Rangers' defensive miscue.

At this point in the game, Citizens Bank Park was rocking in the Flyers' favor. However, the resilience and composure of the Rangers played a factor in the outcome of this game. Mike Rupp came through in the clutch with two big goals to even up the score.

Rupp is used to playing in big situations as he played in last year's Winter Classic and in the Stanley Cup Final with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Going into the third period the Rangers were surging and were playing smart hockey. They ultimately scored the go-ahead goal as Brad Richards was at the right place at the right time. At this point it was all about goaltending and defense.

Henrik Lundqvist was able to stand tall in the face of adversity. The Flyers received a few generous calls in the tail end of the third period, but in the end the Rangers stood tall and secured a victory.

Wins like today are nothing new for the Broadway Blueshirts. They have shown that you can never count them out and they can remain cool under pressure. This win improves the Rangers record to 24-9-4 for 52 points.

The Rangers now stand atop the Eastern Conference with a three-point lead over the Boston Bruins and a four-point lead over the Flyers. 

Experience and cool heads truly prevailed today. There were minimal penalties, no fighting majors and only minor mistakes made. Henrik Lundqvist's save against Daniel Briere on a penalty shot is a moment that will be replayed on Winter Classic highlight reels for years to come.

The Rangers will leave Philadelphia and will return home to square off against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.

The game was very exciting for the fans watching live and at home. It is moments like today that make the Winter Classic a truly remarkable event.

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