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Rangers up next for 0-3 Flyers

MORE THAN 42 weeks have passed since the Flyers last sampled the bitter taste that has been the Broadway Blueshirts, yet they still cannot exactly put their finger on the foundation of their futility.

MORE THAN 42 weeks have passed since the Flyers last sampled the bitter taste that has been the Broadway Blueshirts, yet they still cannot exactly put their finger on the foundation of their futility.

Six losses last season to the Rangers, the only team in the Eastern Conference the Flyers did not beat at least once, including the Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park. It has been eight straight losses overall.

You'd have to go back to Feb. 20, 2011 for the Flyers' last win over New York - and only four players remaining from the roster that day are expected in the Flyers' lineup on Thursday.

"Every year, things change," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. "They got the best of us last year, that's for sure. We'd like to fix that. We need to get back on track. Whether it's the Rangers, Devils, Penguins or Bruins, we need to prepare to win a hockey game. I don't think a record last year holds weight for anyone."

For the Flyers, the only record that should matter is their own (0-3) this year. They're off to their worst start in 18 years, since the lockout shortened season of 1994-95.

The Flyers will be without forwards Scott Hartnell (foot), Brayden Schenn (suspension), Danny Briere (wrist) and Zac Rinaldo - see Page 52 - on Thursday night.

Even with a depleted roster, the Flyers won't have to search for motivation.

"A win would come at the perfect time," Briere said. "I know last year we had our issues with them. I'd say [even including] any of the games last year, if there's one game we could take a win in, it would be [Thursday].

"I really believe that's all we need for our confidence. We just need a couple breaks to go our way for a big win. That way, everyone can calm down, settle down and start playing the way we know we can."

Briere said it was tough to explain why the Flyers struggled so much against New York. The Rangers' average margin of victory in the Flyers' eight consecutive losses is 2.65 goals.

"There's teams that happens against sometimes, the way you matchup against them," Briere hypothesized. "On the flip side, you look what we did against Atlanta and the Islanders. Even when we played bad, we'd still find a way to win. Sometimes, you can't explain that. You just have their number."

Is it as simple as solving Henrik Lundqvist? King Hank posted a .942 save percentage and 1.83 goals-against average against the Flyers last season. Even in November's charity game in Atlantic City to benefit Hurricane Sandy, Lundqvist stonewalled a slew of Flyers players.

"He's playing well against everyone, not just us," Jake Voracek said. "Those types of goalies, they won't let anything go in unless they have something in front of them."

For the Flyers, one of their most glaring weaknesses through the first three games is a consistent and persistent net presence.

"I don't think we're getting enough traffic," Voracek said. "We need to say, '[Screw] it guys, I'm going to the net right now,' and we need to get dirty, dirty rebounds."

Voracek said the Flyers have "no excuse" for losing, since the Rangers hosted Boston on Wednesday night while the Flyers rested.

A regulation loss on Thursday would give the Flyers their worst start in franchise history, with the panic alarms growing louder and louder. A win of any kind would quell those fears, and maybe even an inferiority complex.

"Any time your record isn't where you want it to be, there's urgency in a game," Laviolette said. "In saying that, we need to win a lot of hockey games. Whether we win tomorrow or lose tomorrow, it doesn't guarantee us anything. We need to play a brand of hockey that's going to successfully allow us to move forward."