Flyers fall to Rangers, 5-2

NEW YORK - With wins Saturday and Sunday, the Flyers could have climbed to the top of the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division.

Instead, it turned into the Lost Weekend.

Left winger Artem Anisimov, who had been pointless in 17 consecutive games, had a goal and two assists as the first-place New York Rangers outlasted the Flyers, 5-2, in a physical, fight-filled game at Madison Square Garden.

Rangers all-star goalie Henrik Lundqvist made the big saves. The Flyers' Ilya Bryzgalov did not.

Coming off Saturday's 6-4 loss to New Jersey, the Flyers are as close to seventh-place Ottawa in the East as they are to first place. They are five points behind the Rangers, who have two games in hand.

On Saturday, the Flyers fell into a 6-0 hole. On Sunday, they trailed in the opening 64 seconds and didn't get a shot until 9 minutes, 11 seconds had elapsed.

"I don't think we brought our 'A' game," said center Brayden Schenn, who scored the Flyers' first goal on a breakaway after he came out of the penalty box and took a feed from Jakub Voracek. "We've got to be way better than that. Four points were up for grabs, and we got zero. It's definitely not what we were looking for."

The Flyers, who knotted the score at 2 in the opening minute of the third period, are 0-4 against the Rangers this season.

"It's frustrating. We've struggled against this team all year," winger Matt Read said. "We scored a goal to tie it up, and a couple of little mistakes end up in the back of our net."

"They're walking all over us right now," said winger Tom Sestito, who tried to ignite the Flyers with three fights. "We get to play them again soon, and we have to play the body and be physical - and down the road we'll see them in playoffs."

What has enabled the Rangers to dominate the series?

"The goalie," Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen shot back. "When they break down, their goalie makes the saves."

Against the Flyers this season, Lundqvist has all four wins, along with a 1.51 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.

Bryzgalov is 0-2 with a 4.10 GAA and .863 save percentage against the Rangers, while Sergei Bobrovsky is 0-2 with a 2.56 GAA and a .923 save percentage.

Just 36 seconds after Wayne Simmonds tied the game by knocking in his own rebound on the power play, the Rangers regained the lead at 3-2 with 18:27 remaining. Defenseman Michael Del Zotto scored on a one-timer from the left circle.

New York made it 4-2 as Brandon Dubinsky converted Matt Carle's turnover with 7:45 remaining.

Earlier, persistent forechecking by Marian Gaborik led to his 26th goal of the season, a wraparound with 5.1 seconds left in the second period to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. Bryzgalov had been extremely sharp until failing to cover the post and allowing Gaborik's score.

"The goal was horsebleep," Rangers coach John Tortorella said.

Bryzgalov, who allowed just one goal in four of his previous five starts, had a different explanation.

"Actually, it was a funny bounce, too, because the puck hit me in the stick and started climbing my stick, [going] over my pads and under the arm," he said.

Schenn had tied it, 1-1, with 7:58 left in the second period, ending Lundqvist's scoreless streak at 182:37 - more than three games.

In the opening period, New York scored on its first shot, a blue-line drive by Dan Girardi that Anisimov deflected high into the net after just 1:04.

With the Flyers killing a penalty late in the first period, Claude Giroux went in on a breakaway and appeared to be tripped from behind by Anton Stralman and was unable to get a shot off. No penalty was called. An incensed Giroux, the "victim" of a key non-call Saturday, slammed his stick against the boards as he skated off the ice at the end of the period.

Freeze that image of Giroux slamming his stick - and you can picture how the Flyers have felt after each of their four games against the Rangers this season.