Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – Erik Christensen and Wojtek Wolski both scored in the shootout, as the New York Rangers picked up a critical two points with a 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Nikolay Zherdev, who tied the game on a power play in the third period for Philadelphia, was denied by Henrik Lundqvist to begin the shootout. Christensen then avoided a pokecheck by Flyers rookie Sergei Bobrovsky and roofed the puck over the fallen goaltender.
After Claude Giroux lost control of the puck, Wolski beat Bobrovsky on a backhand-forehand deke.
Bryan McCabe and Ruslan Fedotenko lit the lamp in regulation for New York, which snapped a two-game skid and temporarily climbed into the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference standings, one point ahead of Buffalo and three in front of ninth-place Carolina. The Sabres visit the Hurricanes later Sunday.
Lundqvist and Bobrovsky both made 32 saves.
The home woes continued for Philadelphia, which dropped to 0-2-4 in its last six games at Wells Fargo Center.
Despite the loss — the third straight overall for the Flyers — the one point enabled the Atlantic Division leaders to regain the East’s top seed over idle Washington. The teams are tied with 103 points, but the Flyers own the first tiebreaker with more non-shootout wins. Each team has three games remaining.
Philadelphia and New York traded goals in the first period.
The Flyers opened the scoring when James van Riemsdyk, parked in front of Lundqvist, backhanded the rebound of Sean O’Donnell’s point shot at 12:25.
McCabe tied it with less than a second remaining and the Rangers on a 5-on-3 power play, one-timing a feed from rookie Derek Stepan past a screened Bobrovsky. The goal was reviewed and replays showed the puck did cross the goal line before time expired.
The Rangers moved in front at 13:30 of the second period. Vinny Prospal came out from behind the net and dished to an uncovered Fedotenko, who didn’t miss from in tight.
Philadelphia drew even when Zherdev, streaking down the slot, converted a pass from Giroux at 4:32 of the third.
Game Notes
Flyers forward Danny Briere missed the game due to lower-body soreness, while teammate Darroll Powe left the game with a lower-body injury…New York wrapped up its road portion of the schedule with a 24-16-1 record…The Rangers snapped a four-game losing streak in Philadelphia.