PHILADELPHIA — Wins like this have been a rarity for the Rangers as of late.
The kind where the team leaves little doubt about how it’s going to go. A complete 60-minute effort has not been the norm for this Blueshirts team over the past couple of seasons, but this 6-2 win over the Flyers on Monday night was a reminder that it is, in fact, still possible.
The Flyers were seven points out of the second wild-card spot entering the game, but this loss to the Rangers may have put their playoff aspirations out of reach.
“We wanted to have a good start,” said Gabe Perreault, who posted a goal and an assist in the win for his second multipoint game in the past four. “I think, couple of the games recently, we’ve been getting scored on early. That’s kind of what we focused on. We got a couple early on and kept going.”
In their third game skating together since J.T. Miller was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, the Rangers top line of Perreault, Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafrenière has meshed nicely.
On Monday, the trio was a force.
Rangers players celebrate during their win over the Flyers on March 9, 2026. AP
They combined for four goals and three assists during both 5-on-5 play and the power play, with Zibanejad leading the way with three points (two goals, one assist).
The Rangers power play bounced back from a disappointing performance in New Jersey this past weekend to go 3-for-4 against the Flyers. Without Miller, Perreault joined the top unit with Lafrenière, Trocheck, Zibanejad and Adam Fox.
Perreault was at the heart of the play of the game, when the 20-year-old made a no-look backward pass to Zibanejad on the power play to give the Rangers a 5-1 lead in the second period.
That came after Perreault scored a goal of his own with the man advantage.
“It was funny because I was actually expecting it,” Zibanejad said of Perreault’s pass, which unfolded before Tye Kartye capped the Rangers scoring with his first goal as a Blueshirt. “The way he just postured up and I feel like he saw me. The plays before that from Laf and Foxy and Troch to make that play open, I think sets him up pretty well. It was an unbelievable pass from him.”
The Rangers built a 3-0 lead going into the first intermission for the first time this season.
Mika Zibanejad celebrates during the Rangers-Flyers game on March 9, 2026. AP
It was one of the most dominant first periods of the season. They pushed the puck and pushed the pace. The power play was in sync and, despite only going 1-for-2 through the opening 20 minutes, it didn’t work against the team’s momentum when they didn’t capitalize.
Urho Vaakanainen competed in his first game in over a month and just his 28th contest of the 2025-26 season Monday night.
Despite playing in the five games leading up to the Olympic break, the Finnish defenseman served as a healthy scratch in the first five contests back.
He returned to his usual post on the third defensive pairing alongside Matthew Robertson.
Defenseman Vincent Iorio was a healthy scratch for the second time since the Rangers claimed him off waivers from the Sharks on Jan. 31.
Additionally, with Taylor Raddysh assigned to nonroster status so he can attend his father’s funeral, Jonny Brodzinski was inserted into the lineup for a second time since the Olympic break.
Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced in his 40th start of the season.
The Rangers will complete their eighth back-to-back slate of the season Tuesday, when they host the Flames at Madison Square Garden.