Rangers give ex-Flyer Dan Carcillo his chance
Daniel Carcillo of the Rangers is checked into the boards by Wayne Simmonds of the Philadelphia Flyers during the first period in Game 3 of the first round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 22, 2014 in Philadelphia. Credit: Getty Images / Bruce Bennett
Benoit Pouliot has been an unsung hero for the Rangers this season, shining on an effective line with Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello, providing a much-needed presence in front of the net and scoring 15 goals.
But he committed two costly penalties in Game 3 that negated power plays, infractions that under the previous coach, John Tortorella, would have pinned him to the bench for the rest of the night.
The first was a needless cross-check at 6:49 of the first and the second, a hold at 16:57, five seconds into another man-advantage.
Coach Alain Vigneault stayed with Pouliot, giving him seven shifts in the second and eight in the third, but said afterward: "He needs to rein it in a bit."
St. Louis on a roll
On the day that Martin St. Louis was named one of three finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy, which honors sportsmanship and playing at a high level, the former Lightning wing had two points, bringing his total in three playoff games to a team-leading five (2-3-5).
St. Louis, 38, won the award last year and in three of the past four. He had 30 goals and just 10 penalty minutes this season between Tampa and the Rangers. "It's always nice to be nominated," St. Louis said, "but I have bigger things on my mind."
Blue notes
It was the Rangers' first playoff game in Philadelphia since Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on May 25, 1997, and their first playoff victory since a 5-4 win in Game 2 on May 18, 1997 . . . They have won six of the last seven Game 3s since 2011 and have won four of the last five series when they've taken a 2-1 lead by winning Game 3 on the road . . . Marc Staal was a plus-3 and played 22:13 . . . Dan Carcillo, who was on ice for a team-low 8:57 and had five hits, replaced Jesper Fast, who had played the first two games. Raphael Diaz, Justin Falk and J.T. Miller were healthy scratches for the third straight playoff game . . . Chris Kreider (left hand surgery March 28) made the trip and skated on his own, but remains out indefinitely.
Martin St. Louis was named one of three finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy, which honors sportsmanship and playing at a high level. St. Louis won last season. The other finalists are San Jose's Patrick Marleau and Colorado's Ryan O'Reilly . . . Raphael Diaz, Justin Falk and J.T. Miller were healthy scratches . . . Chris Kreider (left hand surgery March 28) made the trip and skated, but remains out indefinitely.
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