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Rangers continue MSG dominance of Flyers, win fifth in a row

Wayne Simmonds,  Brian Boyle

Philadelphia Flyers’ Wayne Simmonds, left, fights with New York Rangers’ Brian Boyle, right, during the last seconds of the third period of the NHL hockey game Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014, in New York. Both players were given gross misconduct penalties. The Rangers defeated the Flyers 4-1. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

AP

If the playoffs began tonight, the New York Rangers would have home-ice advantage against the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 2014 postseason. The simplest numbers would argue that would be bad news for the Flyers.

With Wednesday’s 3-1 win, the Rangers now hold an eight-game winning streak against the Flyers at Madison Square Garden. The NBCSN telecast points out that Claude Giroux hasn’t scored a goal in that specific span, which is hard to fathom for a superstar who ranks as one of the hottest players in the league (especially lately).

Return of the King

It’s probably unfair to boil it all down to goalies (particularly considering the fact that Steve Mason just saw a four-game winning streak end and has generally been strong since February), but those who do will point out a much stronger night for Henrik Lundqvist. The Swede seems to be finding his game, with the greatest evidence being that he held off the Flyers in the first period despite Philly’s 15 opening-frame shots.

Especially unfair folks will milk a goal Mason would like to have back:

Road ahead

That victory gives the Rangers a five-game winning streak and a three-point lead over the Flyers for second place in the Metropolitan Division, although it’s far from settled since Philly holds two games in hand.

Those remaining 10 contests could prove challenging, however. Philly could very well slip back into the wild card fray, as a Friday home game against Toronto holds serious weight. After that, it’s a Sunday home game against Boston (on NBC) followed by a road-heavy April schedule.

The Rangers are red-hot and face an interesting closing stretch. While they play four in a row on the road beginning on Friday, it starts with two cellar dwellers (Calgary and Edmonton) before Alain Vigneault returns to Vancouver on April Fool’s Day (just wait for the jokes there) and then an interesting road test against Colorado. If the Rangers can stay hot there, it could be a lucrative finish to the season, as they face three teams outside of the playoff picture at home and then finish the season on the road against Montreal.

Long story short, this win is helpful for the Rangers and irritating for Philly - especially if you take it as an omen - yet both teams still have plenty of work to do.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins