• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Rangers stop brief skid with critical shootout win over Flyers

Apr 3, 2011 - 11:48 PM 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 poke check 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.

"I really haven't seen him (Bobrovsky) too much and wasn't really sure what to do," Wolski said. "Eric went in and just kind of pulled a move and he was going to do something else to switch it up a little bit when he saw the poke check. So I was a little worried about the poke check but I made sure to kind of fake him and keep my head up so he thought I could see what was happening and I was happy it went in."

Bryan McCabe and Ruslan Fedotenko lit the lamp in regulation for New York, which snapped a two-game skid and remained eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, one point behind Buffalo and two in front of ninth-place Carolina.

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.

"Obviously it's frustrating playing a good third period and not being able to get that extra point," Giroux said. "It's a good thing there aren't shootouts in the playoffs." The Flyers fell to 3-7 in shootouts this season.

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.