There will be not one, not two, but three Game 7’s, ladies and gentlemen. The Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New York Rangers 5-2 last night in Philadelphia. When you think about it, that series was predestined to go the full seven games. After all, Henrik Lundqvist is now 0-12 when the Rangers have a series lead. At least, they have not lost a Game 7.
What will happen Wednesday night? That does not matter yet. Here are the best from Tuesday night in our three stars.
Fantasy Hockey Three Stars
Third Star — Steve Mason — Philadelphia Flyers
Some will argue that he should be first or second star but the Flyers probably dodged a goal or two in addition to what was given up. However, in the early part of Game 6, Steve Mason stood tall, fantasy hockey world. Overall, he would stop 34 of 36 shots but the 13 shots in the first period were the difference. It seemed the Flyers were turning the puck over once a minute early on and that was Mason’s time to shine. Even in the second period, there were a few chances turned away by the goaltender to keep the Rangers off the board. Yes, the men in blue scored a couple times in the third but the game was over by then. Though the Philadelphia goalie will have to be better at Madison Square Garden, he was more than good enough on Tuesday.
Second Star — Claude Giroux — Philadelphia Flyers
Hey! I saw Claude Giroux tonight and he looked like the guy everyone saw during the regular season. Yes, he tallied an empty netter but overall Giroux had a goal and two assists in the Game 6 win. The good thing was the Flyers Captain only had to play a little over 16 minutes, which will leaves him rested for Game 7. The center was more aggressive and drove the net which was something he really did not do much (nor did many Flyers) throughout most of the first five games. Again, the real truth will be on full display on Wednesday night but Philadelphia is going to likely need a multiple point effort from their leader once again if they expect “seventh heaven”.
First Star — Wayne Simmonds — Philadelphia Flyers
All anyone kept hearing was how Philadelphia needed to drive the middle, drive the middle, and drive to the middle. Message received! Wayne Simmonds made quite the impact in his 12:50 of ice time. Hey, those dozen penalty minutes were a nice bonus but that is not why he is our first star. It might have been the hat trick as seen here. This was all on six shots and the three goals, including two power play goals and the dagger to boot. That is what the 4-0 goal really was. Will Simmonds be as much of an antagonist in Game 7? He has to be if Philadelphia is to win. Their special teams will likely carry them if they get the chances.
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Get ready! There are three Game 7’s and XNSports will have you covered. Talk about a heck of a way to exit Round 1 and get ready for Round 2. Thanks for reading fantasy hockey fans.
