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Recap: Rangers 5, Flyers 3
RANGERS 5, FLYERS 3: Defenseman Ryan McDonagh scored for the first time in 25 games during a four-goal first period as visiting New York clinched the Atlantic Division and the top seed in the Eastern Conference by completing a season sweep of Philadelphia.
Captain Ryan Callahan, Marian Gaborik and Artem Anisimov netted power-play goals, Brian Boyle also tallied and Henrik Lundqvist secured his career-high 39th win as the Rangers finished their first sweep of the Flyers since the 1971-72 season.
New York, which clinched the Eastern Conference for the first time since its 1993-94 Stanley Cup-winning campaign, remained tied with Vancouver in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy. The Rangers hold the tiebreaker over the Canucks, who beat Anaheim 5-4 in a shootout Tuesday.
Wayne Simmonds netted his sixth goal in five games and Claude Giroux notched three assists for Philadelphia, which fell three points behind fourth-place Pittsburgh. The Penguins posted a 5-3 win over Boston on Tuesday.
The Rangers greeted Ilya Bryzgalov rudely in his return from a three-game absence due to a chip fracture in his right foot.
McDonagh opened the scoring 6:25 into the first period after converting Gaborik’s centering feed on the doorstep for his seventh goal – and first since Feb 14.
Boyle doubled the advantage five minutes later by cleaning up a rebound for his fourth goal in seven games. Anisimov and Callahan tallied 1:36 apart late in the session to silence the crowd at Wells Fargo Center.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Lundqvist, who turned aside 37 shots, improved to 22-10-3 versus the Flyers. … Gaborik has six goals and four assists on his six-game point streak. He is one tally shy of his career high of 42. … The Rangers have scored at least a pair of power-play goals in three of their last four games. … Jakub Voracek netted his third goal in two contests and defenseman Andreas Lilja added his first of the season for the Flyers.
