Entering the third period with a 2-1 lead on Sunday, Coach John Tortorella knew the Philadelphia Flyers would come out hungry. Especially after coming back to beat the Blackhawks the game before, the Flyers had the ability to turn a 2-1 Rangers lead into a 3-2 Flyers advantage. Only this time the Rangers defense stood tall, limiting Philadelphia to five shots on goal and very few scoring chances.

Larry Brooks of the NY Post wrote about Torts shrinking the bench and giving ice-time to guys who had risen to the occasion:

The Rangers went primarily with four defensemen in the third, giving Michael Del Zotto 3:00 and Matt Gilroy 30 seconds of ice. Dan Girardi, who had one of his most impressive games of the season, played 11:13 in the third (22:18 overall) paired with Marc Staal (8:59, 23:57) while Michal Rozsival (7:13, 24:20) skated with Wade Redden (7:22, 19:01).

Del Zotto, physical all afternoon, played a total of 17:14 while Gilroy, who was pulled from the second unit power play point in favor of Redden, got just 7:52 for the afternoon.

…At this point of the season, you just have to do what it takes to secure victories. Gilroy’s development will take time and even with MDZ’s abilities, it doesn’t automatically assure him playing time. Keep the guys out there who are performing. It’s a pleasant surprise to see Rozy and Redden earn such important ice-time in a crucial third period.

…Brooks also has more on the Rangers power-play and the Rangers remaining games.