Rangers 5, Flyers 2
PHILADELPHIA -- Rick Nash scored two goals to lead the New York Rangers to a 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
Derek Stepan, Brad Richards and Chris Kreider also had goals for the Rangers, who have dominated the rivalry lately. New York is 11-1 against Philadelphia since March 2011.
The loss was a severe blow to the Flyers' playoff chances. They fell seven points behind the Rangers for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference with only 16 games remaining.
New York's John Tortorella became the 30th coach to record 400 career wins.
Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek scored Philadelphia's goals.
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist outplayed Ilya Bryzgalov and improved to 25-11-3 against the Flyers.
The Rangers got one past Bryzgalov when Nash fired a laser in for his 300th career goal to make it 1-0 late in the first period.
Richards scored a power-play goal in the second to make it 2-0. He ripped a shot from outside the left circle that sailed over Bryzgalov's shoulder and just under the crossbar.
Stepan put a rebound into an open net for a 3-0 lead minutes later. Bryzgalov failed to control the puck and was down on his knees and out of position when Stepan backhanded it in.
Simmonds got the Flyers within 3-1 on a fluky goal during a scramble in front on a power play late in the second. The puck bounced around the crease to Simmonds, who spun and took a whack at it. He missed, but the puck hit his skate and trickled in.
Earlier in the game, Simmonds needed several stitches above his upper lip after a teammate's shot hit him. He got smacked in the face with a stick in the third period and bloodied his nose.
Voracek scored a painful goal to cut it to 3-2 six minutes into the third. Claude Giroux wound up and fired a slap shot that hit Voracek's neck and slipped under Lundqvist arm and behind him.
But the Rangers regained their two-goal cushion when Nash scored on a wraparound just 1:14 later. Kreider put it of reach with his goal a few minutes afterward.
Bryzgalov started off with an excellent glove save on Carl Hagelin on a breakaway a minute into the game. Lundqvist answered by robbing Scott Hartnell a couple minutes later.
NOTES: Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen was honored in a pregame ceremony for playing in his 1,000th NHL game last week. ... Danny Briere was out of Philadelphia's lineup because of a concussion. ... Former Flyers assistant coach Wayne Fleming died after a two-year battle with brain cancer. He was 62. Fleming was an assistant under Ken Hitchcock from 2002-06. ... Richards' goal was his first in eight games. ... Nash had his first multipoint game in eight games. ... Bryzgalov has started 29 of 32 games. ... Lundqvist is one behind with 28 starts in 32 games.
