Ryan Strome

The Flyers return to the ice on Wednesday night to face the New York Rangers again in the second game of a four-game road trip.

Perhaps the start of this week can provide the spark for the Flyers. They are playing the New York Rangers, another team not in the playoff picture. These are games the Flyers need to have in order to keep up in the race and make the head-to-head matchups against the top teams in the division more meaningful as the season progresses.

It wasn’t a pretty win, and it wasn’t going to be pretty with the Flyers still plenty shorthanded from their COVID situation. But Claude Giroux marked the first player to return on a list that will only be increasing with each passing day, and he showed just how motivated he was to come back strong.

Claude Giroux had three assists as the Flyers struck for two goals in the first and second periods, holding off the Rangers in a 4-3 win on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center.

The Flyers are also getting some reinforcements back in the lineup. Claude Giroux returned to practice on Tuesday and was the first of the players on the COVID list to return. More will follow in the coming days. For now, Giroux and the rest of the team continue their season, facing the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.

The Flyers face the New York Rangers in their first game since last Sunday. The Rangers enter this game on a four-game losing streak, fresh off a loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday in the Devils' first game back since their own COVID situation.

The Flyers have the chance to extend their winning streak to six games on Sunday afternoon, as they once again face the Rangers, this time on the road. 

A recent surge has the Rangers just two points out of a playoff spot, while the Flyers, on a four-game winning streak of their own, look to maintain their place in third in the Metro with their sights now firmly set on taking another step and trying to catch the teams at the top.

New Flyers bench boss Alain Vigneault faces his most recent former team for the first as the Flyers and Rangers face off in the final game before the holiday break.

Carter Hart finished with 31 saves in 65 minutes and Henrik Lundqvist had 32. In a shootout, Mika Zibanejad had the only goal to lift the Rangers to a 2-1 shootout win over the Flyers.