Colder than the ice they skate on, the reeling Rangers entered Wednesday night’s action having lost four of their last five games including an overtime heartbreaker at the hands of division-rival Philadelphia Monday at MSG. The Flyers were back in town Wednesday to face a Rangers squad forced to take the rink without its coaching staff due to COVID protocols. With Kris Knoblauch (who the Rangers summoned from their AHL affiliate in Hartford) behind the bench, New York miraculously rattled off nine goals—seven of them during a chaotic second period—in a 9-0 rout of Philadelphia.
Mika Zibanejad completed a rare natural hat trick during the second period, netting three goals (one power-play, one shorthanded and one even strength) in a remarkable 10-minute span. In doing so, he doubled his season scoring total from three goals to six. In fact, Zibanejad’s six points during the second period (three goals and three assists) tied an NHL record. Linemate Pavel Buchnevich also had a big night for the Blueshirts, lighting the lamp twice on St. Patrick’s Day while also adding two helpers.
Despite the lopsided final score, New York only outshot Philadelphia 29-26. While the Flyers’ goaltending duo of Brian Elliott (who was pulled during their disastrous second period) and Carter Hart were helpless to stop New York’s blistering attack, Rangers net-minder Alexander Georgiev was brilliant between the pipes, turning aside 26 shots for his second shutout of 2021.
The nine goals surrendered by the Flyers were the most they’ve allowed under head coach Alain Vigneault, who previously coached the Rangers from 2013-18. The Rangers’ largest margin of victory in nearly 35 years was only seen by 1,723 paid fans with Madison Square Garden still open at just 10-percent capacity amid the continuing COVID pandemic.
LISTEN NOW on the RADIO.COM App
Follow RADIO.COM Sports
Twitter | Facebook I Instagram