Bobby Bevilacqua

Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

• New York Rangers (31-16-1, 63 PTS) vs Philadelphia Flyers (23-19-6, 52 PTS)
• The Rangers won on Monday night, a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings despite being outshot 38-17. Brandon Pirri, Matt Puempel and Mats Zuccarello all scored goals and Henrik Lundqvist won his third straight start, making 36 saves and playing extremely well.
• The Flyers won in overtime to the Islanders in their last game, snapping a three game losing streak. Claude Giroux scored the game winner and the Flyers also got goals from Ivan Provorov and Wayne Simmonds. Steve Mason made 36 saves in the win. The Flyers are one point behind the Maple Leafs for the final Wild Card spot.

THE MATCHUP

• This is the third of four meetings between the Rangers and the Flyers this season, and the first of two at MSG. The Rangers have won both games so far, winning 5-2 in the last meeting on Jan. 4 in Philadelphia. The Rangers have outscored the Flyers 8-4 so far in the two games.
• The Rangers have won five straight games against the Flyers dating back to Jan. 16, 2016, and have earned a point in 10 of their last 12 games since March of 2014 (9-2-1).
• Both teams are in the Top 10 in the league on the power play but have struggled lately, going scoreless on the man advantage in their last three games. The Flyers are scoreless in their last 14 opportunities while the Rangers are scoreless in their last 11 attempts. In the two previous meetings, each team has only had three power-play opportunities.
• This is the last game before the All-Star break for the Rangers, but Philly plays Toronto tomorrow.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

• After a strong start in his last game, Steve Mason will probably be the starter tonight. Mason has just one win in his last five appearances and is 15-15-6 with a 2.92 GAA and a .899 save percentage. He has allowed 15 goals on the last 109 shots that he faced.
• Jakub Voracek is back as the go-to scorer on the Flyers, leading the team with 42 points (13-29-42) in 48 games. Nine of his 13 goals came against Eastern Conference opponents and he has 22 points in 29 career meetings against the Rangers, including both goals in the last meeting.
• Rookie defenseman Ivan Provorov has recorded at least a point in six of his last eight games (1-5-6) and ranks second among rookie defensemen in scoring with 22 points (4-18-22).
• Wayne Simmonds always seems to cause the Rangers problems. He’s having a great season, scoring a team high 19 goals and continuing to be a great power forward. Simmonds has four points (2-2-4) in the last five games.

NEW YORK RANGERS

• Henrik Lundqvist was phenomenal against the Kings on Monday, making 36 saves, including some very high quality chances. Lundqvist has allowed four goals in his last three starts for a .950 save percentage, and is now 21-12-1 with a 2.75 GAA and a .906 save percentage. Lundqvist has a .946 save percentage in those games, and he is 33-13-4 with a 2.39 GAA, a .920 save percentage and four shutouts in 52 career games against Philadelphia. He’s also earned a point in each of his last eight starts against the Flyers, going 7-0-1 with a 1.70 GAA and a .947 save percentage.
• Mats Zuccarello finally snapped a 16 game goal drought when he found the back of the net against the Kings, but he’s been scoring consistently for a while now. He has a six game point streak (1-7-8) and has 23 points (2-21-23) in his last 23 games.
• JT Miller picked up another assist, bringing him to 35 points this season and just three points behind Zuccarello for the team lead. He has tallied a point in 10 of the last 11 games, with 13 points (7-6-13) in those games. He leads the team in game winning goals (5) and he is tied for the team lead in games with a point (27).
• Derek Stepan recorded an assist against the Kings, giving him a team high 18 primary assists, as well as a total of 37 points (12-25-37) this season. He’s recorded 10 points (3 G, 7 A) in the last 10 games against the Flyers, and a total of 23 points (5 G, 18 A) in the last 22 games against them.

The Rangers and the Flyers will face off at Madison Square Garden tonight at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on NBCSN.

EXPECTED LINEUP

Chris Kreider-Derek Stepan-Mats Zuccarello

Rick Nash-Mika Zibanejad-Pavel Buchnevich

Matt Puempel-JT Miller-Michael Grabner

Jimmy Vesey-Oscar Lindberg-Brandon Pirri

Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi

Nick Holden-Kevin Klein

Brady Skjei-Adam Clendening

Henrik Lundqvist