New Year's Retributions

Rangers 3, Flyers 2

For the Rangers, Monday’s greatest obstacle wasn’t ignoring the Flyers’ deafening fan base or overcoming a two-goal deficit, it was keeping their minds from wandering during the brief halts in play. A challenge that became increasingly difficult to master as the afternoon drew on and a light dusting of snow coated the ice.

Pushed back two hours to avoid inclement weather, the 2012 Winter Classic got off to a bit of a slow start. Finally, at 3 ‘o clock, the teams emerged from their respective dugouts and stepped onto the field at Citizens Bank Park.

The delay did not seem to faze the crowd of more than 40,000, whose constant “oohs” and “ahhs” provided a thrilling soundtrack to the game. Most of the cheers were reserved for the hometown team, though New York’s faithful had plenty of opportunities to chime in.

It was a gritty game, not unexpected when two rivals face off in such a spectacle. Each shift was a new opportunity for the teams to make their physical presence known. Throughout the course of the game, the Flyers and Rangers combined for 91 hits.

Scoring opened when Philadelphia’s rookie Brayden Schenn snapped a short rebound to the back of the net for his first career goal. Later, Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux flicked a backhander over the shoulder of Ranger’s goalie Henrik Lundqvist for his league-leading 46th point.

Down 2-0 in the second period, New York coach John Tortorella was forced to make changes. Some Rangers had started taking double-shifts in an effort to create favorable matchups.

Then, exactly thirty seconds after Giroux’s tally, Mike Rupp put New York on the board. Following the goal, Rupp removed his glove and gave a two-fingered salute, a sign of disrespect towards his opponent Jaromir Jagr who has long used the same celebration.

In the final twenty minutes, the Rangers picked up where they left off. Feeding off their second period energy, New York was able to score two more goals and make it 3-2. Rupp recorded his second goal of the night, and popular offseason acquisition Brad Richards picked up the eventual game-winning goal.

Philadelphia tried tirelessly to even the score in front of their home crowd, but could not manage to solve Lundqvist. Even Briere, renowned for his offensive prowess, could not capitalize on a penalty shot with twenty seconds left.

Lundqvist finished the Classic with 32 saves, a statistic all the more impressive given the conditions of an outdoor contest. Never before had either goalie have to factor wind into their game.

When the horn sounded, neither team stopped battling. A skirmish behind the net served as a reminder that while the battle was over, the war was not. Unfriendly words were exchanged, and discrepancies sure to carry over into the team’s next meeting manifested themselves.  Perhaps next game the Rangers and Flyers will be more apt to drop the gloves than to put another pair on.