NHL's Top Agitators in Showdown: Flyers Face Rangers in Home-and-Home Series

The top two agitators in the NHL, Sean Avery and Daniel Carcillo, will meet for a showdown when the Philadelphia Flyers meet the new-look New York Rangers in a home and home series this weekend.

Avery led the NHL in penalties for two years and then Carcillo took over.

Both teams are fighting for points in the stretch run to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Daniel Carcillo, has been added to the Flyers in time for a showdown with Sean Avery, making a comeback with the Rangers.

With just 16 games left for Carcillo and the Flyers, and 14 for Sean Avery and the Rangers, and with six teams in the Eastern Conference separated by five points in the battle for the last four playoff berths, the Flyers/Rangers home and home series this weekend will be huge.

The back-to-back games are so important for both teams, they are likely to look like the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Flyers are in fourth place, with two points more than the Montreal Canadiens, three past the Pittsburgh Penguins, and four more than the Carolina Hurricanes and the Rangers.

They Rangers turend into a Cinderella team, winning four of their last five games to climb back into the playoff picture after a long, serious, mid-season slump when they were declared comatose.

This is not the same Rangers team the Flyers beat 5-2 in New York in February. Flyers Coach John Stevens was quoted by "FISHW" in the Bucks County Courier and on Phiillyburbs.com saying The Rangers have a renewed spirit, they've made changes, and perhaps the biggest of those is Avery.

"I think you have to be ready to compete against him, he's a real competitive guy,'' Stevens said. "I think he's going there with a great opportunity and a second chance. He obviously was a very effective player there before.

"He's a courageous guy, he plays hard. He's got a skill level to go along with it. I think you're really going to have to show up ready to compete against him, at the same time, be disciplined.''

Rangers Coach Tom Renney was replaced by former Lightning coach John Tortorella and center Nik Antropov and defenseman Derek Morris were added at the trade deadline. Tortorella is known for being tough on his teams.

The Rangers are 4-2-1 under Tortorella after going 2-7-3 in the previous 12. Two days ago, Tortorella gave the Rangers a stinging speech to spark his club to a comeback victory over the Nashville Predators.

The Rangers (35-25-8) took the lead on a quick goal by Avery but fell behind in the first period. Tortorella ripped his team during the intermission and the Rangers went on to beat Nashville 4-2.

The fiery coach benched Nikolai Zherdev, the team's leading scorer,  with 51 points, after a turnover led to the Predators' second goal in the opening period.

Scott Gomez had a goal and two assists playing with Avery and Ryan Callahan on the Rangers new top line. Gomez has four goals and five assists in the last seven games and now has 16 goals this season, matching his total for his first year with the Rangers, last year.

The Rangers have been dominant in Philadelphia, however, going 12-1-1 in their last 14 games there. They won 4-3 in October in their only visit this season.

Philadelphia is looking to close a five-game home-stand above .500, after falling 2-1 to the Washington Capitals on Thursday.

Mike Richards has been hot, getting two goals and five assists over the last five games, and leads the Flyers with 69 points.

Richards has scored a goal in each of the last four games against New York. Jeff Carter is third in the NHL with 38 goals and has just broken out of a scoring slump but hasn't performed well against the Rangers.

Carter doesn't have a point in the last four games against the Rangers, and has only four goals and four assists in 25 career meetings.

Flyers enforcer Riley Cote has been joined by Daniel Carcillo for the game. Now each of the Flyers four lines has an enforcer, reminding some people of the Flyers when they were known as the Broad Street Bullies.

The new look of the Rangers features Gomez and Avery on the first line with Callahan with Mark Staal and Dan Girardi on defence, according to Steve Zipplay of Newsday.

In the 4-2 victory over the Predators on Thursday, Staal, 22, and Girardi, 24, earned the most minutes: 24:12 and 22:55. Staal scored the third goal. 

Two of Gomez's first-line wingers are gone. Markus Naslund was replaced by Avery, and when Nik Zherdev was benched for a giveaway, Ryan Callahan was promoted. He responded with two assists. Avery also scored and the trio compiled six points.

Zherdev was tied with Gomez for the team lead in points but was dropped to the third line with Naslund. The young Russian broke his stick on the wall coming off the ice and stayed away from reporters.

The Rangers have a new system, according to Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer. They pressure more and do more on the forecheck and are playing with a renewed spirit.

After today's game, the teams will square off again tomorrow at Madison Square Garden in the NBC's Game Of The Week at 12:30 PM.

The Flyers-Rangers home-and-home series is critical to both teams in the crowded conference race.