Rangers tie franchise-record with 10th straight win, rookie Matt Rempe scores winner

PHILADELPHIA – It wasn’t perfect. But the Rangers are a 10.

With rookie Matt Rempe scoring the go-ahead goal – his first career goal – in the third period, the Rangers tied a franchise record with their 10th consecutive victory by beating the Flyers, 2-1, at the Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.

It’s the third time the Rangers have won 10 in a row. They also did it from Dec. 19, 1939-Jan. 13, 1940, and Jan. 19-Feb. 10, 1973.

The Rangers can set a new franchise record on Sunday in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.

The game was tied at 1 when the Rangers scored on a goal that was originally credited to Barclay Goodrow. The Rangers thought it was the first career goal in the fourth NHL game for the 6-7 Rempe, who was camped in front of goalie Samuel Ersson and had the Braden Schneider blast glance off his foot.

Rempe celebrated and the Rangers staff prepared the puck to present it to the rookie. But the early official call gave the goal to Goodrow, apparently on what someone thought was an earlier deflection.

About 10 minutes later the goal was changed to Rempe, who participated in the other highlight of the afternoon with an old-fashioned hockey fight three minutes into the game with Philadelphia’s 6-1 Nicolas Deslauriers.

The two exchanged multiple haymakers in a true old-fashioned hockey fight that thrilled the crowd.

In the Rangers’ last game, Rempe was assessed a match penalty (automatic ejection) just 2:25 in for a hit to the head of Devils forward Nathan Bastian. Rempe has three fights in his first four career games.

Saturday’s game went until 11:56 of the second without any goals being scored until Alexis Lafrenière of the Rangers scored his third in two games.

The Flyers tied it 2:36 into the third period when a sprawling Scott Laughton wrapped a pass from behind the net to Tyson Foerster, who beat Igor Shesterkin. The Rangers goalie was otherwise impenetrable as he made 40 saves to win his sixth straight start.

Philadelphia, which had gone 5-1-1 in its past seven games, was without leading goals and points scorer Travis Konecny. He was ruled out just before game time with an upper-body injury.

The Rangers were outshot 18-9 in the first period and didn’t get their first shot until four minutes into the game. The Rangers also lost their first 11 faceoffs before Vincent Trocheck beat Morgan Frost with 8:47 left in the period.

The Rangers had their first two-minute power play early in the second period, but only got off one (unsuccessful) shot on goal. Cue more highlights from the Rempe-Deslauriers fight for the home viewing audience.

The Rangers got a golden four-minute power play opportunity halfway through the second when Garnet Hathaway was called for a double minor for high-sticking K’Andre Miller. But it turned out the Rangers didn’t need to score 5-on-4.

With the sides skating 4-on-4 after Artemi Panarin was called for holding, Lafrenière took a pass from Trocheck and blasted the puck past Ersson for his 17th goal and sixth in his last 10 games.

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.