Philadelphia Flyers Must Beat the Rangers Now to Beat Them in the Playoffs

The Philadelphia Flyers have a record of 0-5 against the New York Rangers this season. With both teams having locked up playoff spots, it is likely that the Flyers will have to go through the Rangers to win the Eastern Conference. If the Flyers want to have a chance at winning a playoff series against the Rangers, they need to beat them in their final regular season meeting. 

The Flyers have many rivals in the Atlantic Division and the fiercest is probably with cross-state rival Pittsburgh. While Pittsburgh might be the fiercest, the Flyers rivalry with the New York Rangers has taken center stage this season. 

The Flyers and Rangers were scheduled to face off in the Winter Classic, so all eyes fell on the two teams from start of the season until the Winter Classic. 

With everyone watching, the Flyers struggled against the Rangers and lost every meeting between the two teams. 

The Flyers are a much different team than when they last played the Rangers. During the previous matchups, the Rangers strengths shined and the Flyers weaknesses were highlighted. Coming into the final meeting of the season the teams appear to be much more evenly matched. 

All season Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist was nothing short of a brick wall against the Flyers. Now that the season has run its course, Lundqvist’s stats have come down slightly and the previously unbeatable goaltender now seems beatable. 

While the Rangers had great goaltending all season, the Flyers spent the majority of the season trying to figure their goaltending situation out. Now the Flyers have two goaltenders who can compete against any team in the league.

Bryzgalov is currently recovering from a foot fracture, but has shown that he has adjusted to life in Philadelphia and is playing like the goaltender Philadelphia was expecting. Bobrovsky proved on Sunday that he can step up to any challenge, leading the team to a 6-4 win over the Penguins. 

The Flyers have had a large number of rookies and young players filling the roster for the majority of the season. Now that the season is coming to an end the young players are showing how much they have developed this season. The young players are contributing on the score sheet like they have all season, and are now playing with confidence against any opponent. 

The Flyers need to beat the Rangers on Tuesday, because a season sweep would be a big hit mentally. If the Flyers win then they will also get some momentum against the Rangers, which will be important heading into the playoffs. 

The Rangers are too far ahead for the points to help the Flyers catch them in the standings. The final game against the Ranger is not about the points. What makes the game so important for the Flyers is all mental. The Flyers need to beat the Rangers and avoid the season sweep to prove that they can beat the Rangers heading into the playoffs.