Tonight at 8 p.m. ET, the New York Rangers (38-16-6, 82 points) and Philadelphia Flyers (26-25-11, 63 points) face-off in prime time for the final meeting this season between these to rivals live from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
New York has won four straight games and eight of its last 10 while Philadelphia has dropped two straight contests and opens up a three-match home stand.
The Rangers enter play in second place in the Metropolitan Division, two points behind the first place New York Islanders (84 points) and three points ahead of the third place Pittsburgh Penguins (79).
The Flyers are six points behind the Boston Bruins (69 points) for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference and also have the Florida Panthers (65) ahead of them.
New York has defeated Philadelphia three straight times this season -- all in November -- including two shutouts and a 5-2 win last time they went head-to-head on Nov. 29.
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The Rangers are coming off of a 4-3 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday and will look to continue their dominance over their rivals.
Coach Alain Vigneault wasn't happy with his team's start last time out.
"We really pride ourselves on coming out the right way," he told NorthJersey.com. "Our first periods have been good, but for whatever reason we didn't start out the way we wanted. This game is about finding ways to win and that's what we did."
Rick Nash has been the driving force behind New York's offense this season as he is second in the league with 37 goals and paces the team with 58 points. Derick Brassard leads New York with 35 assists and has found the back of the net 13 times to rank second on the team with 48 points.
The Flyers are coming off of a 3-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday and will look to avoid a three game skid.
Jakub Voracek enters play tied for the league lead with a team-best 64 points to pace Philadelphia and he is also second in the NHL with 45 assists. Captain Claude Giroux is fifth in the league with 41 helpers and second on the team with 59 points.
Philadelphia is likely to turn to the recently returned Steve Mason in the crease and he is 11-13-7 with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage this season. Rob Zepp filled in mostly in his absence and will be the backup as Ray Emery remains sidelined, but is working his way back.
"It's good to get on the ice," Emery told CSNPhilly.com after practicing Friday. "I felt pretty good on the ice. Hopefully its consistent progress from here on."
New York is also dealing with an injured goaltender as Henrik Lundqvist (throat) remains sidelined and they will turn to Cam Talbot in net. Talbot is 12-5-3 with a 2.49 GAA and a .915 save percentage.
Two division rivals face-off for the final time tonight when the puck drops on the Rangers and Flyers live tonight from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
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