Mason Sharp in Return, Flyers Take Game 4 to Even Series

Report From PhiladelphiaFlyers.com

PHILADELPHIA — Steve Mason made 37 saves and Jakub Voracek scored the game-winning goal in the second period when the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New York Rangers 2-1 Friday in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference First Round series.

The best-of-7 is tied 2-2 with Game 5 on Sunday in New York (noon ET; NBC, RDS, TSN). Game 6 will be Tuesday in Philadelphia, and Game 7, if necessary, will be in New York on Wednesday.

Matt Read scored in the first period for the Flyers, who played most of the final two periods with five defensemen because of a lower-body injury sustained by Nicklas Grossmann at 6:25 of the second.

Dominic Moore scored for the Rangers; goalie Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves.

It was Mason’s first start since April 12, when he sustained an upper-body injury in the second period against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mason sat out the final game of the regular season and the first two games of this series. He made his first appearance in Game 3, playing the final 7:15 in relief of starterRay Emery in a 4-1 loss.

The win was Mason’s first in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. His previous postseason experience had been a four-game sweep in the first round of the 2009 playoffs as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets facing the Detroit Red Wings. It was Mason’s first playoff win of any kind since he was a member of the Kitchener Rangers playing in the 2008 Ontario Hockey League.

Voracek’s goal broke a 1-1 tie at 7:22 of the second period. Moore was sent off for cross-checking at 5:58, putting the Flyers on the power play for the second time. Late in the man-advantage, Voracek raced the puck into the New York end but slipped and lost control of it. Jason Akeson was able to win a battle for the puck with Martin St. Louis and kicked it to Mark Streit at the left point. He sent it across the zone toBrayden Schenn, who put a low shot toward the net that Voracek, stationed in the slot, tipped between Lundqvist’s pads for his second of the postseason.

It was the Flyers’ first home power-play goal; they went 0-for-5 in Game 3.

The Rangers had chances to get back into the game on the man-advantage but couldn’t convert when Read took a hooking penalty with 15.1 seconds remaining in the second period. The Rangers went 0-for-4 on the power play.

Their final chance came with 41 seconds remaining and an extra attacker on when Rick Nash pushed the puck just wide of the net from in close.

Philadelphia tied the game 1-1 on Read’s first goal of the postseason, at 8:55 of the first period. Akeson took a shot off the rush from the left side of the Rangers zone. The puck went wide of the net but bounced off the end boards to Read, who scored before Lundqvist could get set.

“It was a 3-on-3 rush,” Read said. “[Akeson] made a great pass. He told me he meant to do that, throw the puck behind the boards, and it came right to me. I just had to one-time it. I think Lundqvist got a piece of it but we’ll take it.”

The Rangers scored the first goal for the third straight game, by Moore at 4:38. He was whistled for hooking at 2:26 of the period, and when he rejoined the play, Brian Boyle tipped a pass attempt by Flyers defenseman Andrew MacDonaldto Moore, who broke the puck out of the New York zone. He moved to the left side of the Philadelphia zone and fired a shot that Mason stopped, but Moore tipped the rebound behind the goal line, carried it behind the net, and stuffed it between Mason and the post on the right side.

It was Moore’s first playoff goal since May 17, 2011, when he scored for the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Final against the Boston Bruins.

Grossmann fell feet first into the boards in the Philadelphia end while battling for a puck with Rangers forward Derick Brassard. Grossmann appeared to struggle to put weight on his right leg as he left the ice.