Carter Hart, dominating at home, will get a rare road start as Flyers face New York Rangers on Sunday

The Flyers stalled Columbus’ playoff drive by recently sweeping a home-and-home series against the Blue Jackets.

Now they’re trying to do the same thing to the New York Rangers.

The Flyers, coming off a 5-2 win Friday over the visiting Rangers, will face the Blueshirts at noon Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

And, once again, Carter Hart will get the call for the Flyers.

Hart made 26 saves and beat the Rangers on Friday, raising his home record to 18-2-2. The 21-year-old goalie has a 1.67 goals-against average at the Wells Fargo Center and a .941 save percentage.

“He played well the last game; we have a big game [Sunday], and I’m confident he’ll give us a real good game,” coach Alain Vigneault said after practice Saturday in Voorhees.

Hart is just 3-10-1 with a 3.88 GAA and .855 save percentage on the road. Sunday will be Hart’s 15th road start this season and only his fifth since Dec. 29.

In the victory Friday, the Flyers’ top line of Claude Giroux (two goals), Sean Couturier (goal, assist), and Jake Voracek (four assists) combined for three goals, eight points, and 11 shots.

“We got a big win, but we can’t get too satisfied here,” Couturier said. “We just have to push our reset button and go get another big win in New York.”

The Flyers will be aiming for their sixth straight victory, which would be their longest winning streak of the season. They are on a 15-5-2 run, enabling them to get within three points of first-place Washington in the Metropolitan Division.

The Flyers (37-20-7) entered Saturday in second place, a point ahead of Pittsburgh (37-20-6). The Penguins play in San Jose on Saturday night.

Vigneault isn’t worried abut his team’s looking past the Rangers and ahead to Wednesday’s game in Washington (39-19-6).

“One of the things we have done real well is stay in the moment, stay focused on the task at hand,” Vigneault said.

Because Sunday’s game starts at noon, Vigneault said the players have to prepare a little differently and should avoid hanging out in Manhattan late Saturday night “even though it’s a beautiful place to visit.”

“It’s just not the same routine for a player," he said of the early start. The meeting times are different and are more condensed, there is no morning skate, and players aren’t eating two meals and taking a nap before the game.

“It’s a totally different situation and you have to prepare accordingly to get ready," Vigneault said.

During their five-game winning streak, the Flyers have outscored their opponents, 22-10, and have gotten contributions from all four lines. They have scored four or more goals in all five games, and the defense and goaltending have been solid.

Many of the Flyers are on hot streaks. Consider:

· Giroux: six goals and eight assists for 14 points in his last 10 games.

· Couturier: eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in his last 20 games.

· James van Riemsdyk: five goals and five assists for 10 points in his last 10 games.

· Kevin Hayes: five goals in his last five games.

· Travis Konecny: five goals and nine assists for 14 points in his last 10 games.

· Matt Niskanen: two goals and 11 assists for 13 points and a plus-12 rating in his last 15 games.

· Jake Voracek: 10 points, including nine assists, in his last 10 games.

· Scott Laughton: two goals and four assists for six points in his last three games.

Add it all together -- plus strong special-teams play -- and you have a team that has made the rest of the NHL take notice.

The Flyers recalled winger Joel Farabee from the Phantoms. ... Travis Sanheim and Derek Grant had maintenance days but will play Sunday, Vigneault said. … Hart is 2-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .952 save percentage against the Rangers this season. … Nolan Patrick centered the third line in practice but still is not able to take contact. He has not played this season because of a migraine disorder. … Because of the coronavirus, Vigneault said the Flyers, like all teams, received a memo from the NHL asking them to take common-sense steps such as washing hands frequently.