New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers: In-Game Analysis and Reactions

The Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Rangers in a shootout at home Saturday night, and now have won four of their last five games.

After three periods of play and an overtime, the game was locked up at two apiece before Flyers Sam Gagner and Claude Giroux stepped up in the shootout to beat Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. 

The matchup was a back-and-forth, action-packed affair as both goaltenders played brilliantly.  

This game should serve as a big confidence boost for the Flyers, who, prior to this game, had been owned by the Rangers the past few seasons.

Entering Saturday, Philadelphia was just 5-14 versus the Rangers since 2011, including 5-5 at the Wells Fargo Center and 0-9 at Madison Square Garden.

As noted before, Lundqvist and Flyers goaltender Steve Mason were the standouts in this one. Lundqvist made 46 saves off 48 shots, and Mason did well with 37 saves from 39 shots on goal. 

On a night in which Rangers star Rick Nash was not too active, certain Rangers players stepped up and brought energy, including J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider. Miller scored his first goal of the season and was aggressive throughout the night, while Kreider had one assist and one hit. 

Look for those two impact players to continue to crash the net moving forward, using their speed and big size more effectively. If they continue to do what they did in Saturday's game, more goals will come. 

With their nice little run, it seems like the Flyers are starting to come together under first-year coach Dave Hakstol. Perhaps they just needed a little time to get familiar with a new system. Count on their chemistry to continue to grow as they look ahead to matchups versus the Sabres and Devils later this month.