The Rangers put out the Flyers

Three in Calgary snuff two in Paradise

Two rinks, one flame

Qualification night lit all 32 candles. By the end of it, only 17 still burned. The New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers never shared a sheet of ice. This was a virtual match: each team played its own game, the Rangers in Calgary against the Calgary Flames and the Flyers in Paradise against the Vegas Golden Knights, and the one that scored more went through. One East candle would burn on. The other would go dark on the first night. The Rangers came in 9th of 32 last season. The Flyers came in 26th.

Power play in Calgary

Blake Coleman's snap shot put the Flames ahead at 1:15 of the first, and the Rangers went 26:23 without an answer. Then the second period turned their way. Alexis Lafrenière tipped in a power-play goal at 7:38. Chris Kreider tipped in another on the power play at 14:09. At 16:53, defenseman Erik Gustafsson poked in a third. Igor Shesterkin stopped 25 of 26 shots, and three goals were enough.

Doused in the desert

The Flyers did their scoring early. After Ivan Barbashev's backhand for Vegas, Noah Cates answered with a wrist shot at 13:07 of the first and Cam Atkinson added a backhand at 17:19. That made two. It stayed two. Philadelphia never scored again, and two could not catch three. Vegas tied its game on Paul Cotter's wrist shot at 12:06 of the third, and Shea Theodore won it with 0:33 left in regulation. Carter Hart made 26 saves. The Flyers' flame went out.