Simmonds notches three points, Mason pitches 24-save shutout as Flyers blank Rangers for second straight win

Updated: November 28, 2015 at 7:24 pm by Brady Trettenero
News

The Wayne Train has officially taken off from the station, and it isn’t making any stops.

Wayne Simmonds snapped a seven-game goalless drought, set up a goal and added an empty netter, while Steve Mason stopped all 24 shots he faced, propelling the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-0 win over the New York Rangers Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden.

Sean Couturier also scored for the Flyers, who won for the first time at MSG since Feb. 20, 2011.

The Flyers have now won two straight games and three of their past four, advancing to 9-10-5 on the year.

Simmonds opened the scoring at 12:24 of the second period off a give-and-go play with Matt Read. Simmonds took a pass from Read and broke in all alone on Rangers’ goaltender Antti Raanta. Simmonds put a shot over the blocker of Raanta to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead — the eventual game-winning goal. The Flyers dominated the second period after getting off to a slow start.

The Flyers were outshot 10-4 in a scoreless first period. Things got heated midway through the frame after Dylan McIlrath steamrolled Flyers’ blueliner Nick Schultz. Luke Schenn immediately went after McIlrath and dropped the gloves with the Rangers defenseman. Schenn got the worst of the tilt, while Schultz left the game and did not return.

After a lackluster first period, the Flyers came out and controlled play in the second frame. Philadelphia outshot New York 18-7 in the second period and entered the final frame with a 1-0 lead.

Sean Couturier added to the Flyers lead 3:06 into the final period after Simmonds drove the puck to the net and Couturier cleaned up the garbage in front, tracking down the loose puck and sliding it underneath Raanta. Simmonds would add an empty netter in the final minute to complete a three-point effort.

The Flyers outshot the Rangers 30-14 in the final two periods and 34 -24 on the night.

Key Stats/ Takeaways

  • Wayne Simmonds had his best game of the season, scoring twice, adding an assist, recording five shots on goal and notching a plus-3 rating. It was his first points in seven games
  • After killing off Luke Schenn and Radko Gudas penalties today, the Flyers have now killed off 19 straight power plays
  • Evgeni Medvedev had another strong game, posting four shots on goal and logging a season-high 25:52 of ice time. Since returning to the lineup, he’s helped Flyers take down third best team in the Western Conference (Nashville) and the second best team in the Eastern Conference (Rangers)
  • While Steve Mason collected his first shutout of the season, the Flyers also handed Rangers’ goaltender Antti Raanta the first home regulation loss of his NHL career
  • The Flyers have now won back-to-back games and have earned points in the standings in six of their last eight games

The Highlight Reel

(The best Flyers GIFS from the game)

Steve Mason uses the knob of his stick to stop this one

knob

Wayne Simmonds put the Flyers up 1-0!

wayne trainasasa

Sean Couturier makes it 2-0

#PlayBoldly

(The best tweets sent out during the game)

Stage is set

All Smiles

Thought that counts

Wayne Train opens the scoring

Best period in a long time

Couturier makes it 2-0!

Pretty much

Rolling

Post game

Capture This

(The best photos from the game)

Schenn drops the mitts

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All aboard

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Coots gets in on the action

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Back-to-back wins

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NEXT UP: Tuesday vs. Senators, 7:30 PM, Canadian Tire Centre

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