Carcillo Offers the Rangers a Tougher Look
PHILADELPHIA - There were hints at the Rangers' morning skate before Game 3 Tuesday that the former Flyer Daniel Carcillo might enter the lineup for the first time in this series. If so, Rangers Coach Alain Vigneault may be choosing a more pugnacious approach.
After the skate, Vigneault would not reveal his lineup to reporters. He was asked if he expected a more physical Game 3 on Tuesday night.
'Why?' he responded. 'I thought it was real physical in our building.'
When it was suggested that games in Philadelphia are always more physical, he said: 'I'm from the West. I haven't heard about it.'
Carcillo, whose nickname is Car Bomb, has 89 career points and 1,136 penalty minutes in 359 regular-season games. He said he did not know if he was playing but added that the play is rougher in the playoffs and 'that's the way I've played my whole career.'
If he came into the lineup, he would probably take the place of the rookie Jesper Fest, who had no points in 11 regular-season games and one assist in the first two games of the series. He had two penalty minutes in those 13 games.
When asked what Carcillo can contribute, Vigneault said, 'Dan's an experienced player. He brings an energy to a team. He's a hard, smart player. He goes to the tough areas. When he has an opportunity to lay a good physical hit, he does that. With him in our lineup this year, we've had a very good record.'
Carcillo played 31 games during the regular season after arriving from the Los Angeles Kings in a trade. The Rangers had a 19-9-3 record in those games.
One of those games was a 4-2 loss at Philadelphia on March 1, in which he and the Flyers' Zac Rinaldo received 10-minute misconducts and unsportsmanlike conduct minors for grappling with each other.
ST. LOUIS IS LADY BYNG FINALIST The N.H.L. announced that Rangers forward Martin St. Louis is a finalist for the Lady Byng trophy for the eighth time in the last 10 years. The award, voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, is given to the player who combines sportsmanship with a high standard of playing ability. St. Louis won the award in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks and Ryan O'Reilly of the Colorado Avalanche are the other finalists.
'It's an honor to be nominated for any award,' said St. Louis, who asked for a trade to the Rangers last month after 12-plus seasons in Tampa Bay. 'But I think the focus is on something bigger and better right now.'
PLAYING TO A DRAW The matchup between the Rangers' top defense pair and the Flyers' top line has been a standoff after two games, which did not particularly concern Alain Vigneault. He said he was equally comfortable matching his second pair of Marc Staal and Anton Stralman or the first pair of Ryan McDonagh and Dan Girardi against Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek and Scott Hartnell.
That line had a goal in each of the first two games, a success for the Flyers. But they had been limited to a total of only four shots, a success for the Rangers.
'He's going to get checked - he's got to fight through it,' Flyers Coach Craig Berube said of Giroux, who had no shots in the series so far.
When asked if he and Stralman were prepared to go against the top line, Staal said, 'This is something we've done all year long.'
McDonagh added, 'The only matchup that matters tonight is our will against their will.'
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