Rangers dominate 3rd period to earn Game 1 win over Flyers

The New York Rangers used an offensive surge in the third period to come away with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of their first round series on Thursday night.

The Flyers plan was to control Ryan McDonagh and that's what they did scoring the first goal of the series on their first shot while McDonagh cross-checked Claude Giroux in front of the net.

Mats Zuccarello tied the game for the Rangers soon after coralling his own rebound and the game was officially off to the races. A scoreless second period would lead to an eventful third, which included two power play goals from the Rangers. 

Brad Richards led the way for New York with a goal and two assists, all of which came in the third period. The Rangers now take a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 on Sunday. 

Flyers winless at MSG

The Flyers have not won a game in Madison Square Garden in three years, a streak that has now reached nine games.  

If the Flyers plan to end that run, they will need to get  Claude Giroux more ice time in Game 2. Giroux mysteriously played just 4:39 in the first period and a little over five minutes in the second period.

That wasn't the only issue for Philadelphia on Thursday, as they managed just 14 shots on Henrik Lundqvist in the opening two frames and found themselves on the penalty kill four times in the third period extending their losing streak at MSG to nine games.

Power play too strong for Flyers

Jason Atkinson took a four-minute high-sticking minor with 12:25 remaining in the third period giving the Rangers a huge opportunity to take the lead. A wide-open Richards scored in the first two minutes of the power play.

[Courtesy NHL.com]

Derek Stepan found the back of the net on the second half of the power play, once again wide open on a gorgeous feed from Richards.

Rangers outshoot Flyers in each period

After an even second period where both teams shared chances and capitalized off turnovers, the Rangers settled down and continued to dominate in the shot category. 

With three minutes remaining in the third period the Flyers amassed 15 shots while the Rangers threw 35 on Ray Emery.

Worth Sharing

After undergoing Tommy John surgery, New York Mets pitcher Matt Harvey made his way into Madison Square Garden wearing a Henrik Lundqvist jersey. Gotta support the team.