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Rangers chase Emery, top Flyers for 2-1 series lead

New York Rangers v Philadelphia Flyers - Game Three

in Game Three of the First Round of the 2014 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 22, 2014 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Bruce Bennett

Whether it was the right decision or not heading into the game, the bottom line is that Ray Emery eventually found himself on the bench during Tuesday’s eventual 4-1 Game 3 loss to the New York Rangers.

Which means it’s time to let out a sad sigh (if you’re a Flyers fan) and an evil cackle (if you hate the Flyers), as the franchise’s eternal goaltending questions may crop up once again. Fair or not based on the chances he faced, Emery allowed four goals on 20 shots before giving way to Steve Mason with a little less than 10 minutes remaining in the game.

Martin St. Louis is starting to find his offensive groove as his line with Rick Nash and Derek Stepan created quite a bit of offense for the Rangers. (Of course, Daniel Carcillo’s offense was most ... offensive in going up 4-1.)

The bad news might also be a blessing in disguise or the Flyers: Claude Giroux still hasn’t gotten his game together. That’s not ideal, although it provides some room for optimism as Philly is only down 2-1 even as its crucial star has largely been negated by the Rangers.

The Rangers continue to be a strong road team in winning what was an increasingly nasty contest.

The Rangers and Flyers face off in Game 4 on Friday, so Philly has an opportunity to catch its breath and maybe consider some lineup changes. Oh yeah, and Steve Mason gets some time to be truly 100 percent and prepare for what are almost certainly the biggest games of his career.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins