NHL Winter Classic 2012: Why Rangers Need Win More Than Flyers

The winner of the Winter Classic has gone on to play in and win three of the last four Stanley Cup Finals. It’s why the Rangers are in a must-win game more so than the Philadelphia Flyers. 

The Flyers have recently competed in a Stanley Cup Final, when they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2009. That year, the Flyers lost the Winter Classic to Boston, but broke the trend of winners making the Stanley Cup Final in the same year. 

That following year, the ’09 Winter Classic winner Bruins went on to win the Stanley Cup.

Red-Hot Rangers

The Rangers are coming into this game on an insane five-game winning streak. They have done this with excellent goaltending from both Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Biron. 

Not only have the Rangers won five straight, but they have won seven of their last 10 games. Over that span, they have given up more than two goals one, in a 4-1 loss to St. Louis (that loss was documented on the HBO documentary, 24/7). 

A win at the Winter Classic would not only give them possibly their eight win in a row, but it would put them even farther ahead in first place in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference. 

Philadelphia Dominance 

If the Rangers can win at the Winter Classic against Philadelphia, it would be their third win in three games over the division rivals. 

This year, the Rangers have outscored the Flyers 5-2, with their first win being a close 1-0 shutout. Another win for the Rangers, where they get strong play from Lundqvist, will put doubt in their minds that they cannot beat the Rangers or Lundqvist.

Early Playoff Exits Can Be Erased with a Win at the Winter Classic

The Rangers have seen a lot of good regular seasons come to an early end in the playoffs when the stage becomes too big for them, and they run out of gas. 

Winning at the Winter Classic would prove that this team is ready to play at a high level on the biggest stage. 

The Rangers need a big win, one where they can carry that momentum towards their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1994.

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