Flyers’ Michael Raffl helped to locker room after taking elbow to head

With a towel-waving, sellout crowd watching at the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers scored a 3-2 shootout victory over the New York Rangers.

“We’ve always had good games against them and tonight was no different”, Philadelphia goalie Steve Mason said. He made a nice play winning a board battle against the Rangers to help set up the Flyers’ first goal and has been charged with just one giveaway all season, but can’t seem to impress Hakstol enough to warrant a regular spot. Henrik Lundqvist has allowed 14 goals on 224 shots faced and Antti Raanta has given up zero goals on 22 shots. The puck skidded into the corner, but Nash picked up his first of the season and 700th career point regardless.

After an entertaining game between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, this game was decided in a shootout…

The line was together in the last two-plus periods of the Flyers’ 5-4 overtime win in Boston, and they were a unit during a few preseason games.

With Sean Couturier and backup goalie Michal Neuvirth already missing the game with suspected concussion issues disguised as upper body injuries, Michael Raffl joined the list 2:58 into the second period. Raffl collided with Rangers forward Jarret Stoll during the second period and took an “accidental” elbow to the face, according to Tim Panaccio of CSN Philly.

Both teams lost players to high hits on Saturday.

The game featured 87 shots, including great looks in a chaotic overtime, but neither Mason nor Lundqvist could be beaten.

“It’s a lot of fun; I obviously enjoy it”, said Gagner, who almost ended the game during the OT session with a clean breakaway, only to see the puck dribble off his stick at the last moment with Lundqvist (46 saves) out of position. The 6-foot, 195-pounder truly displayed his goal-scoring prowess last campaign, scoring 21 times in 67 contests.

Flyers coach Dave Hakstol didn’t view the matchup against the gifted Rangers as a way to gauge how far his team has developed. A two-minute holding penalty committed by left winger Jakub Voracek put the Rangers on the man advantage, and they took advantage to knot the score entering the final stanza.

The Flyers had taken a 2-1 lead at 2:07 as Scott Laughton’s shot beat Lundqvist over his glove.

But the Rangers tied it at 2-2 on Brassard’s power-play goal a couple minutes later. Keith Yandle’s backhander was deflected by Oscar Lindberg and Miller, at the right post, swatted the puck out of the air past Mason.

Streit ripped a one-timer from the slot past Lundqvist for a 1-0 lead just past the midpoint of the first period.

Game 1 of a five-game season series between Metropolitan Division rivals had the energy and pace of the playoffs. The Rangers are 2-6 in the last 8 meetings in Philadelphia and 20-8 in the last 28 meetings overall.