VOORHEES, N.J. — If you’re the Flyers, there’s a lot to be happy about heading into Saturday night’s game against the Rangers.
For starters, the game isn’t on the road where the Flyers are 0-9 over the last four years against the Rangers.
It’s at the Wells Fargo Center where the Flyers are 5-4 against the Blueshirts.
The Flyers (3-2-1) have seven points to start the season. That’s the most points through six games since the 2011-12 season when they opened with nine (4-1-1).
Best of all, to quote Jakub Voracek on linemate Claude Giroux, “G’s on pace for 40 goals.”
Indeed, Giroux has three goals thus far which would see him score 41 on the season. The rest of his line with Voracek and Michael Raffl, has yet to produce a goal, but we’re not going to quibble.
The Rangers have owned the Flyers for the longest time with a 16-5-0 record over the last 21 games. In 17 of those games, New York allowed two goals or fewer. Over the entire span, the Rangers' goals-against is 1.81 per game.
Nearly all the credit goes to goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who has property rights to every piece of Flyers equipment, right down to their skate laces.
Since March 6, 2011, Lundqvist is 14-3-0 against the Flyers with a 1.82 GAA and .939 save percentage and two shutouts.
Steve Mason knows those are tough stats for any opposing goalie to match. You could make a pretty solid case that the Rangers have gotten into the Flyers’ heads.
“I don’t think so,” Mason said. “They always say, ‘Every game is its own individual challenge.’ We have to make sure we get up for it. I don’t look at past records as an indication. You prepare for each individual game as if it’s a do-or-die situation.”
That being the case, the Flyers have died what feels like a thousand deaths since last winning in New York on Feb. 20, 2011.
That same season also saw the Flyers' all-time worst road loss to the Rangers — 7-0 — at Madison Square Garden on March 6 which began their current string of misery.
“I feel like when we’ve played them, they seem to get the second efforts and third efforts,” Wayne Simmonds said. “I don’t know why. That’s just the way it is. It seems to happen when we play the Rangers.
“It’s a new year. We’ve changed up a lot of things in this dressing room. Coaches and not player personnel-wise, but we’ve got a new attitude and we’re focused on a different way to play.”
Among the changes expected for tonight is Sam Gagner centering Matt Read and Simmonds instead of Sean Couturier, who is out with a suspected concussion from the head shot he took from Zac Rinaldo in Boston on Wednesday.
Gagner filled in at center for Couturier in the second and third periods at Boston.
Another change will be Brayden Schenn, back after missing the overtime win over the Bruins with a suspected bruised left shoulder, on Scott Laughton’s line with R.J. Umberger.
Like it or not, the Rangers represent a measuring stick for the Flyers. They’ve been ahead of the Flyers in the standings for a couple years now and were in first place in the Metropolitan Division as of Friday.
Most of the Flyers’ losses have been very close, but again, close doesn’t cut in terms of points in the standings if the game doesn’t go to overtime.
“I’m not really looking at anybody as a measuring stick,” coach Dave Hakstol said. “I’m looking at things for our team. I got a lot of respect for [the Rangers] in terms of the way they play the game and the success they’ve had.
“But it needs to end there. From there, it turns to focus on what we need to do to be successful against that team.”
It will be interesting to see who the Flyers match up against Derek Stepan’s line with Rick Nash and now Mats Zuccarello.
Laughton drew that assignment in the preseason when Chris Keider was on the line in Zuccarello’s place. Laughton did yeoman’s work that night and could be facing Stepan again.
In 25 career games against the Flyers, Stepan has 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) — most points against any opponent he has faced.
In his last 16 games against the Flyers, he has 18 points (two goals, 16 assists).