Richards sparks power play

Ryan Callahan scored a hat trick. Marian Gaborik notched four points. And slumping center Brad Richards continued breaking out of his recent slump with a three-assist effort.

Still, no one player deserved to be center stage after the Rangers' 5-2 win Saturday in Philadelphia, their fifth in as many games against the rival Flyers this season.

Instead, the team's Achilles' heel power-play unit was the unexpected star attraction, striking for three goals in its first four opportunities after scoring just twice in 37 chances over the previous 14 games to fall to 27th in the NHL in man-advantage efficiency.

"It was a matter of time," goalie Henrik Lundqvist said. "The chances are coming. Today, we looked so confident. The biggest thing is confidence. There were sharp plays, stick to stick. That's how you get some speed, when the passes are crisp."

Much of that effectiveness can be attributed to the improved play of Richards, whose self-assessment just a few days earlier was that he was "lost offensively," with one goal over a 12-game stretch. But the $60 million center netted the overtime winner in the Rangers' previous game against Tampa Bay and then followed that up by recording two of his three assists as the power-play quarterback on Saturday.

He said a couple of the games against the Flyers could have gone either way, "But tonight, we got good looks, and the difference was the power play."

"Richie was a lot smoother as far as his play," coach John Tortorella said. "He has done a lot of work on the defensive side of the puck, and we've asked him to do that. He's beginning to find his way there. He was a lot more fluent today offensively."

The Rangers (35-13-5) maintained their five-point lead over the Bruins atop the Eastern Conference and moved six ahead of the Flyers in the Atlantic Division entering Sunday's home game against Washington.

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