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Written by Fran
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Thursday, 21 January 2010 11:54 |
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 Mets vs. Phillies. Giants vs. Eagles. Rangers vs. Flyers. Games against New York teams are always circled on the calendar. Two cities separated by only 90 miles seem like worlds apart and tonight, those worlds collide as the Rangers are in town for what looks like an epic matchup with the Philadelphia Flyers. These games don't need any more voltage than what will be served up on ice tonight. Two enemies, battling for the playoffs, in a hostile barn, throughout a physical 60 minutes. Dare I say, can we ask for anything better for the start of the weekend?
 The build up for this game will be awesome, but what the outcome may hinge on is simply how well Henrik Lundqvist performs. He has been on a tear, going 6-1-2 with a 1.42 GAA in his last 9. Hank always plays well against Philly and will be the lynchpin to any attempt by the Rangers to steal a victory in South Philly. Hank will always be a Vezina candidate. He's a great goalie, but just like everyone else, is beatable. Last time these two teams met, he got chased after allowing 3 goals on 11 shots. I don't think that happens tonight, but steady pressure in front of him delivered by all 4 lines will shake him to his Swedish core. Marion "Glass Groin" Gaborik has been on a tear as has Brandon Dubinsky, who is the biggest turd in midtown Manhattan. "Duby" always tries to get it going with Richards, so maybe the Captain can take some of his media frustrations out on little Brandon's face. The Rangers defence, aside from Lundqvist, isn't anything special. Sure, Marc Staal is pretty awesome but I'm not sold on anyone else, including rookie Michael Del Zotto, whipping boy Wade Redden or unibrow-master Michael Rosival. Defensivly these guys are beatable, but they do provide some offensive punch on the powerplay. Watch for Del Zotto and Rosival on the points, sneaky fuckers always seem to get hit the score sheet against Philly. The Rangers are on fire, blowing out their last two opponents by a combined score of 14-4. While they're hot, they'll have to contend with a team that can score on all four lines and blocks tons of shots.
For the Flyers, Atlantic Division match ups are extremely critical in the second half. These games are 4 point swings and a win tonight is a big step towards the playoffs. To put it simply, the Rangers are ahead of us in the standings, so a win tonight is a major plus. Animosity and story lines aside, establishing and keeping a lead is the most important thing the Flyers can do tonight. I'm going to drop some originality on this blogosphere and give you three, yes THREE "keys" to the "game." Scott Hartnell, Powerplay success, Aaron Asham. We need Hartnell to show us why we're paying him so much again. He's been a bit quiet the past three games, yet thrives off of matchups like this. Nothing silly(ie "hartnell" penalties), just some grindin' Birddog play in front of Lundqvist. If the Flyers can control the special teams the way they did in their previous meeting they'll be setting themselves up for huge success. This means Richards, Pronger and Giroux all maintaining pressure while putting pucks on net at will. Aaron Asham has been quietly playing the best hockey of the year during the past 10 games, amassing points, being physical and really giving Giroux and Rabbit a versatile vet to line up with. He showed some nice moves against Columbus, combine that with his energy and playing with two dynamos, he could be a difference maker tonight.
 I don't need you to get pumped up, because you're reading this and are very much like me (except you can't do 10,000 pushups). You're already excited. Chainsaw bear is pumped, and if he is, you should be too. I bet the music in your headphones is blasting right now. It's almost lunch people, that means the day is half over. Start coughing now, tell your boss you're taking off early and meet us in spirit at your local watering hole. It's the fuckin' weekend. It's Flyers vs. Rangers at the Wach. Doesn't get any better than Philly versus New York. Fuck the Brooklyn Blowout and LET'S GO FLYERS!
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