NEW YORK – Adam Fox scored 36 seconds into overtime and the New York Rangers became the first NHL team to clinch a playoff spot this season, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 following a wild third period Tuesday night.
Alexis Lafreniere had two goals and Igor Shesterkin made 36 saves for the Rangers, who lead the league with 100 points after giving coach Peter Laviolette his 800th career win.
New York technically secured its third consecutive playoff berth just by getting to overtime and earning one point after Detroit lost to Washington in OT. But after the teams traded seven goals in a frenetic third period, it didn’t take long for Fox to finish the night in style with a wrist shot from the high slot for his 15th goal, adding to the star defenseman’s career high.
Vincent Trocheck, Mika Zibanejad and Jonny Brodzinski also scored for the Rangers, who extended their Metropolitan Division lead to three points over Carolina.
Scott Laughton and Ryan Poehling scored second-period goals to put the Flyers up 2-0 before Zibanejad narrowed the deficit with a power-play goal at 15:28.
Brodzinski and Lafreniere scored early in the third to put New York ahead 3-2 before Flyers leading scorer Travis Konecny tied the game at 3 with his team-leading 31st goal at 6:45.
Trocheck scored short-handed at 9:34 to put the Rangers ahead 4-3 but Owen Tippett tied it again at 11:45 before Lafreniere scored his second of the game and 22nd of the season at 13:59. Flyers forward Tyson Foerster then evened the score again at 16:29 with his 19th goal to send the game into overtime.
New York won its third straight and fifth in six overall to improve to 26-9-0 at home.
Artemi Panarin’s assist on Zibanejad’s goal was his 100th point of the season, making him the seventh player in Rangers history — and first since Jaromir Jagr in 2005-06 — to reach the milestone. Panarin has points in 57 of New York’s 72 games.
Third-place Philadelphia has nine games remaining and will play five of its last seven against division opponents including the Rangers again in New York on April 11.
Rangers defenseman Brandon Scanlin made his NHL debut in place of injured Erik Gustafsson.
New York captain Jacob Trouba has missed 10 straight games with a lower-body injury, while fellow defenseman Ryan Lindgren missed his fourth in a row with a lower-body injury. Rangers center Alex Wennberg, whose wife is pregnant, was a late scratch for personal reasons and was replaced by Brodzinski.
UP NEXT
Rangers: Visit the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday.
Flyers: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
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