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First place in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference on the line against a most despised, bitter rival.
A New York Rangers team that seems to have found some well-hidden mojo against the Flyers this season.
Three games, three losses to John Tortorellas snappy bunch.
None, however, as potentially meaningful as this one on Monday afternoon in the Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park.
The Rangers bested the Flyers again, 3-2.
Goalie Henrik Lundqvist was nothing short of superb again with 34 saves as has now held opponents to two or fewer goals in 19 games, including eight of his last nine.
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That could be a common thread, quipped coach Peter Laviolette when asked what all three losses had in common.
We talked about trying to get to Lundqvist with more traffic and well continue to work on it. I dont think it was because our guys didnt compete.
The Flyers competed hard but Lundqvist outplayed Sergei Bobrovsky, who yielded a decisive, momentum-changing goal in the final period.
If that werent enough, Lundqvists biggest save of the night came at the very end as he stopped Danny Brieres penalty shot with 19.6 seconds left.
They won a big game. We battled hard, Briere said. Hes definitely a good goalie. Sometimes, theres matchups that theres teams you cant seem to lose against and other teams you struggle against to get wins.
One thing I know, you get to the playoffs and it doesnt mean anything. We start from scratch.
It was the second time the Flyers have been in the Winter Classic. They lost in overtime to the Bruins, 2-1, in the 2010 Winter Classic held at Fenway Park.
Jaromir Jagr re-aggravated a previously undisclosed left calf injury, playing just 7:09 (see blog post).
Bobrovsky, who earned this start over Ilya Bryzgalov, had a 2-1 lead but the Rangers sucked the momentum out of the cold with two goals in less than six minutes to begin the final period.
Mike Rupps second marker of the dayshort side high, just inside the left posttied the game at 2:41. It was a bad goal. Even Bobrovsky, talking through an interpreter, sensed a turning point there.
Yes, I did, he said. He shot at an angle and it hit me under the arm.
Bobrovsky finished with 30 saves.
They scored on their chances, Jagr lamented. The second goal was kind of tough. We still had a chance to tie it and I was hoping wed win it in overtime.
Three minutes after Rupps goal, Brad Richards got a fat rebound in the slot to give the Rangers their first lead at 3-2.
Laviolette called his timeout right then. The Rangers sustained offensive pressure on the Flyers in the last period and never allowed the Flyers to regain momentum, despite 46,967 fans in the stands.
Give New York credit, Laviolette said. They picked up their game in the third period. We didnt play the third period like we did the first two.
Lundqvists stellar play against the Flyers continued right off the start with 12 saves during the opening period, including poke checking the puck away from Claude Giroux, who forced a breakaway off a steal in the opening minutes.
It wasnt a wild or wooly beginning, despite the hoopla. Neither team had any thunderous hits until Scott Hartnell buried Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh behind his own net, forcing the puck loose and giving the Flyers a scoring chance at the net.
In the final four minutes, Andrej Meszaros, hustling off transition, stripped Ryan Callahan from behind on a potential breakaway.
Next shift, Jagr split McDonagh and Dan Girardi, but Lundqvist made his 11th save of the period to keep it scoreless at intermission.
That rush, Jagr said, proved to him he could not play at full speed and had to remove himself from the game.
It was getting worse and worse after that. Jagr said.
He would play two shifts in the second period before retiring, yet the Flyers took control of the game that period.
At the Boston Winter Classic, Flyers defenseman Danny Syvret had his teams only goal. It also happened to be his first NHL goal.
Well, hard luck forward Brayden Schenn -- shoulder, foot and concussion injuries -- matched Syvrets accomplishment with his first NHL goal at 12:26 (see story). Schenn got a rare rebound off Lundqvists pads.
Schenns goal marked the first time in three games this season that the Flyers led the Rangers.
Two minutes later, Girouxs 18th made it 2-0. Max Talbot fed him perfectly as Giroux lifted a high backhander over Lundqvist.
The goal temporarily tied Giroux with NHL scoring leader Henrik Sedin (Vancouver). Both have 46 points.
Its disappointing, Talbot said of the blown lead. Its not just a game, but a big show and a great event and it's two points in the standings of a rivalry game. Yes, its disappointing to lose this game.
The positive momentum lasted but 30 seconds as on the next rush up ice, Rupp shot from the high slot and Bobrvosky never saw the shot as he was screened by Meszaros.
Until Monday, the Flyers had not lost (18-0-1) in regulation when leading after two periods.
Ah, but these Rangers seem to know something.
They can win these regular season games, Giroux said. We got to learn from what we do during the season. Its a long-seasonWere a young team with a lot of new players and were trying to get better every game, every practice.
At the end of the day, its whos most ready for the playoffs. We proved it two years ago as the eighth seed and went to the Stanley Cup Final. This game will just make us better.
Not if the Flyers dont solve King Henrik, whose power on this throne just got greater.
Hes a great goaltender, no question about it, Jagr said. You know how it is in sports. It can change in a minute. Maybe were going to get them back. Maybe were going to get his number.
E-mail Tim Panaccio at tpanotch@comcast.net