Powered-up Rangers beat Flyers

PHILADELPHIA -- Pick your star. There were plenty of choices in Saturday's 5-2 win by the Rangers, their fifth over the Flyers in five tries this season:

Captain Ryan Callahan, who had the second hat trick of his career.

Marian Gaborik, who scored his team-leading 27th goal and added three assists.

Brad Richards, who looked revived and sharp and registered three assists.

But believe it or not, the key was a crisp-passing, attacking power play that looked nothing like its previous moribund self. The Eastern Conference-leading Rangers scored three times in their first four opportunities to build a 3-2 lead that was protected by Henrik Lundqvist, who made 31 saves.

"There's been a couple of these games against the Flyers that could've went either way," Richards said. "Tonight, we got good looks, and the difference was the power play."

The power play entered the game ranked 27th in the NHL, and the Rangers were 2-for-37 with the man-advantage in the previous 14 games. This marked the first time since a 6-1 rout of the Islanders last March 11 that the Rangers scored three power-play goals. Callahan had two and Gaborik one.

SEE PHOTOSTop 10 Rangers playoff moments

"The entry passes were really good," Gaborik said, "and so were the retrievals. Once we got the puck back, we seemed to find the open guy."

Gaborik set up the game's first goal when he took the puck to the high slot and found Callahan to the right of Sergei Bobrovsky along the goal line. His shot bounced off and over the goaltender's extended right pad at 8:25 of the first period.

Callahan, who continued to bedevil the Flyers -- he scored four goals against them in a 7-0 rout last March 6 -- scored what proved to be the game-winner at 9:15 of the second. He slipped in front of defenseman Kimmo Timonen and converted a superb feed from Michael Del Zotto for a 3-2 Rangers lead.

Said Callahan, "I really didn't have to do much, the passes were so good."

SEE PHOTOSHit or miss: Rangers first-round picks since 1991

Richards' waist-high wrister was tipped by in Gaborik at 16:40 of the first period for the Rangers' second power-play goal and a 2-1 lead. It was the first time since Dec. 11 against Florida that they scored more than one power-play goal in a game.

"It was just a matter of time," said Lundqvist, who has allowed only eight goals in five games against the Flyers this season. "Today we looked so confident and we got one early. They made some really good plays, stick to stick."

With the win, the Rangers (35-13-5, 75 points) maintained a five-point lead over Boston at the top of the East and moved six points ahead of the Flyers, with two games in hand, in the Atlantic Division. The Rangers visit Boston on Tuesday.

Artem Anisimov scored five-on-five in the third period after Derek Stepan hit the blade of his stick with a perfect pass near the crease. Callahan notched his third goal of the game and 21st of the season at 11:25 of the third, burying a rebound from the left side.

Lundqvist, who stopped 17 of 18 shots against him in the second period, and the penalty-killers (4-for-4) kept the Flyers, who wore their Winter Classic uniforms, at bay. The game featured 110 penalty minutes, 68 to the Flyers. They showed their frustration in the third, as Zac Rinaldo and Tim Sestito squared off against Brian Boyle and Brandon Dubinsky.