Rangers’ All-Star fractures foot in loss to Flyers

PHILADELPHIA — Rangers forward Chris Kreider could miss significant time after suffering a fractured foot in the first period of a 5-2 loss to the Flyers on Friday night.

He appeared to get hurt when he blocked a shot by Phillipe Myers early in the first period.

The Rangers later tweeted about the fracture and said he wouldn't return to the game.

The 28-year-old Kreider just signed a seven-year contract extension reportedly worth $45 million on Monday. Kreider has 24 goals and 21 assists for 45 points in 63 games this season. Kreider was a 2009 first-round draft pick and has played his entire career with the Rangers.

“It's tough. I don't know how to put it into words, really,“Rangers center Mika Zibanejad said. “Obviously, a key player, and a key guy in the locker room, on the ice, and obviously for our line, for the rest of the team.“

The Rangers went into the game with a franchiserecord nine straight road wins, and nine wins in their last 10 overall. They trailed Columbus by two points for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference.

But Claude Giroux scored twice and Carter Hart stopped 26 shots to lead the Flyers to their fifth straight win.

The Flyers have been sensational of late as they surge up the Eastern Conference standings. They are an impressive 23-5-4 at home and Hart has been about flawless at the Wells Fargo Center. He improved to 18-2-2 at home this season; 14-1 over his last 15 starts, and was dominant against the Rangers after he allowed a quirky goal early in the game.

The Flyers were revitalized by first-year coach Alain Vigneault, who coached the Rangers for five seasons and led them to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, and suddenly seem like a team ready to make some noise in the playoffs. The Flyers missed the postseason last season and haven't been to the second round since 2012. Hart gives them a chance every night and the Flyers get production from every line.

Sean Couturier, James van Riemsdyk and Kevin Hayes also scored to help the Flyers beat the Rangers for the eighth time in the last nine games of the series.

Without Kreider, the road to the postseason just got bumpier for the Rangers.

Fast gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead just 2:49 into the game on a weird goal. Hart batted away the slapper, the puck fell in front of him, and Fast whooshed by to tap it in for his 12th goal of the season.

That was it for the Rangers until the final seconds when Howden poked one in to make it 5-2.

Hart stopped everything and continued to show why the Flyers expect him to play as their franchise goalie for years to come.

Jake Voracek, who had four assists, passed from behind the net and fed Couturier for the tying goal late in the first. Van Riemsdyk pounded in a rebound and Giroux scored on a one-timer in the second period to make it 3-1.

Giroux scored his 18th goal of the season, a power-play effort in the third, and Hayes scored against his former team to make it 5-1 and seal the win.

Oskar Lindblom, out indefinitely with a rare bone cancer, posted an Instagram video of the Flyers game on TV with the caption “Let's Go.”

The Flyers sure are going, straight up the standings.