Flyers vs. Rangers: Keys to Victory for Both Teams in Atlantic Division Showdown

The New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers will continue their rivalry on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden with two important points in the Eastern Conference standings on the line.

The Flyers and Rangers are eighth and ninth in the standings, respectively, and they have split the season series 1-1 thus far with each team winning at home.

The Rangers are 4-0 in their last four games against the Flyers at MSG, but with the Flyers entering Tuesday's matchup with three wins in their last four games, they will be confident about their chances of taking two points on the road.

Let's look at the keys to victory for both teams in this Atlantic Division showdown.

Rick Nash Must Play Well

When star winger Rick Nash performs at a high level and impacts the game with his offensive skill and physical play, the Rangers are very tough to beat. When he scores a goal, the Rangers are 4-1, including wins in their last four games when Nash has found the back of the net.

Nash currently leads the Rangers in assists (11) and points (16), and since he returned to the lineup last Thursday after recovering from an undisclosed injury, the veteran forward has tallied four points (two goals, two assists) in two games.

The 28-year-old's size, hands, strength and playmaking skills make him incredibly difficult to defend, and the attention he draws from opposing players allows his Rangers teammates to get in position for goal-scoring opportunities.

For the Flyers to win this game, they must prevent Nash from having time and space with the puck to create scoring chances for himself and his teammates.

Expect Rangers head coach John Tortorella to look for the best matchups with Nash on the ice since he has the last line change as the home team.

Jakub Voracek's Recent Success vs. Rangers Must Continue

Flyers winger Jakub Voracek is having a breakout season in 2013, and he leads the team in goals (nine), assists (16) and points (25). Philadelphia also has a 4-2-1 record when he scores a goal.

In his last five matchups against the Blueshirts, Voracek has tallied five points. He has two points (goal, assist) in two games against the Rangers this season.

The 23-year-old right-winger has scored 15 points in his last eight games, and when he plays well, the Flyers' top line is incredibly hard to shut down.

Voracek and Claude Giroux are one of the best center/winger duos in the NHL, and the Rangers must not let these guys take over the game offensively or it's going to be a long night at MSG.

Expect the Rangers' top defensive pairing of Marc Staal and Dan Girardi to be on the ice whenever the Flyers' top line hops over the boards. This is the most important matchup in Tuesday's game.

Henrik Lundqvist's Performance in Net

Henrik Lundqvist is 1-1 versus the Flyers in 2013, but he was the Rangers' top performer in each game.

He has a 1.5 GAA and a .950 save percentage against Philadelphia this year, and since the start of the 2011-12 season, Lundqvist is 7-1 with a 1.66 GAA and a .946 save percentage in his last eight starts against the Flyers.

Lundqvist has also been a major part of the Blueshirts' perfect penalty kill over the last three games (11-for-11).

It's very important that Lundqvist plays well against a high-scoring team like the Flyers because the Rangers rank 23rd in goals scored, and they have managed to score more than two goals in just two of their last seven games. New York is also 2-7-1 when it allows three or more goals

Lundqvist's performance could be the deciding factor in the outcome of Tuesday's matchup.

Flyers Need a Strong First Period

When the Flyers fail to score first and have to play from behind early in the game, it puts a lot of pressure on starting goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. Since he has been inconsistent this season, trailing after the first period isn't a situation that Philadelphia wants to be in, as the chart below shows.

Situation	Flyers W/L/OT
Trail First	3-8-1
Trail After 1st Period	0-8-0
Score First	8-3
Leading After 1st Period	5-1-0

The Flyers have allowed a first-period goal in each of their last five losses, and when the Rangers defeated them at MSG on Jan. 29, the Blueshirts took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission and won the game 2-1.

Scoring the first goal on the road against a good team like the Rangers would give the Flyers a ton of confidence and help quiet the raucous MSG crowd.

Special Teams Success

Special teams will play an important role in this game.

New York's power play has been abysmal for most of the season, but it has improved quite a bit recently. In their last two games, the Rangers have scored three power-play goals, which matched their total from the previous eight games.

The healthy return of star forward Rick Nash (four points in last two games) and the improved play of second-line center Derek Stepan (two-game goal streak) are two reasons for the Blueshirts' power-play success over the last week.

Philadelphia's ninth-ranked penalty kill will need to play well because the Rangers are 4-0-2 when they score a power-play goal. The Flyers cannot allow the Rangers and the MSG crowd to take over the game with a momentum boost that comes from a power-play goal.

The Flyers' ninth-ranked power-play has scored nine goals in the team's last seven games, and the return of Scott Hartnell from injury has given head coach Peter Laviolette another goal-scoring threat to use with the man advantage. Star center and captain Claude Giroux has tallied 22 points this season, and 11 of them have been scored on the power play (three goals, eight assists).

The Rangers penalty kill has done an excellent job this season and ranks seventh in the league at 85.3 percent. New York has killed off its last 11 penalties, and maintaining this success will be crucial to the Rangers' chances of winning this game because the Flyers are 3-4 this season when they don't score a power-play goal.

The team that wins the special teams battle will likely take two points from this game.