PHILADELPHIA - Alone in the cold, it was up to New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist to preserve a Classic comeback.
With time running out, Flyers center Danny Briere streaked down the ice trying to send Monday's game into overtime. Lundqvist dropped to his knees on top of a chilly baseball field and stoned Briere with his pads when the center tried to sneak it through his legs.
This made-for-TV game had found its brightest star.
Lundqvist stopped 34 shots, Brad Richards scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Rangers rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Flyers 3-2 in the Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park.
"I was just trying to be patient and do my thing," Lundqvist said. "He's a sneaky guy, and there was a lot of pressure on me."
More pressure than any other regular-season games in January. While this game meant two points in the standings, like the four other NHL games set for Monday night, it received the kind of hype normally reserved for the Stanley Cup finals. NBC televised the game and HBO had 12 camera crews filming the game and behind-the-scenes action for its "24/7" series.
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Rangers coach John Tortorella wondered if the officials wanted their own time in the spotlight.
"They called a penalty shot, which I still don't understand," he said. "I'm not sure if NBC got together with the refs to turn this into an overtime game."
In temperatures that dipped into the 30s, Mike Rupp scored twice as New York beat Philly for a third time this season. Playing on a rink that stretched from first base to third base, the Rangers made the NHL's fifth Classic a memorable one to stay atop the Eastern Conference standings.
All that was missing was one of the breakout stars of HBO's NHL show, slumping Flyers goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who was benched after signing a nine-year, $51 million contract.
The Flyers also played the last two periods without Jaromir Jagr, their star forward who injured left leg and did not return.
