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Flyers win, lock up first-round match against Rangers

Steve Mason

Philadelphia Flyers goalie Steve Mason (35) watches a puck shot during the third period of an NHL hockey game, as New York Rangers’ Derick Brassard (16) and Flyers’ Luke Schenn (22) watch Wednesday, March 26, 2014, in New York. The Rangers won 3-1. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

AP

By beating their hated rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Philadelphia Flyers ensured that they’d face another heated rival in the first round of the 2014 playoffs.

Their 4-3 overtime win against Pittsburgh clinched an opening series against the New York Rangers. The Rangers will have home-ice advantage in this series as the Metropolitan Division’s second seed. Some might view that as an especially noteworthy edge for the Rangers, as they’ve beaten the Flyers eight consecutive times at Madison Square Garden.

Chances are, the Flyers are far more concerned about starting goalie Steve Mason’s health than that statistical disparity. The 25-year-old suffered an upper-body injury and didn’t return after this collision in the second period on Saturday:

The physical ending of this game can be chalked up to a combination of that collision and the teams’ noted distaste for each other (although it probably comes down to the latter ... probably). If the Penguins and Flyers manage to advance to the second round, hockey fans will get yet another wrinkle to consider in the event that the two cross-state rivals would face off.

Speaking of the Penguins, they await their next opponents based on this weekend’s results. The Columbus Blue Jackets would clinch a first-round series between the two if they can beat the Florida Panthers tonight.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins