Former Flyer Carcillo effective vs. his old team

Former Flyers tough guy Dan Carcillo made a strong impact in his first postseason action against his old team.

The winger came out of the penalty box to score the final goal in the New York Rangers' 4-1 win over the Flyers on Tuesday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Because he was with the Flyers for three years, including in 2010, when they lost to Chicago in the Stanley Cup Finals, Carcillo admitted that winning against his former team brought an extra bit of satisfaction.

"For sure, I played here, I know people on the other side," Carcillo said after Game 3.

Carcillo, 29, was acquired by the Rangers from the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 4.

He did not dress during eight of his regular-season games with the Rangers and also sat out the first two postseason games.

The Rangers had a 19-9-3 record when Carcillo dressed during the regular season. He scored only three goals in 31 regular-season games.

What he is known for is stirring things up on the ice. In a four-season span from 2007-08 through 2010-11 he averaged 17.75 fights per season. During the last three seasons he averaged four fights per year.

Despite the reduced number of bouts, he hasn't shed his fighter's image.

"When you get pigeonholed into a role, it's hard to change people's minds in this league," Carcillo said. "When you get in and you get an opportunity like this you've got to make the most of it."

He may not get in as many scraps, but the 6-foot, 200-pound Carcillo is one to make his presence known.

"He is an agitator, and he knows how to get under your skin," said Flyers winger Scott Hartnell, a former teammate.

Carcillo's most productive season with the Flyers was 2009-10, when he had 12 goals, 10 assists, and 207 penalty minutes.

While the Flyers are aware of his presence, their biggest priority is stopping the line of Derek Stepan, Martin St. Louis, and Rick Nash, who have combined for four goals and eight assists in the first three games, and center Brad Richards, who has a goal and three assists.

"This is Philly vs. the Rangers, and we want the upper hand and we can't focus on him. He is just trying to cause stuff when he is out there," Hartnell said of Carcillo. "We have to focus on St. Louis, Richards, Nash, and Stepan."

Breakaways. The Flyers are 2 for 9 on the power play with one empty-net goal, and coach Craig Berube is making a change, having Jake Voracek become more of a distributor. That is meant to take some of the pressure off Claude Giroux, who has faced extensive defensive attention. . . . The Flyers have recalled center Scott Laughton from the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League. Laughton, 19, the Flyers' first-round draft choice in 2012 (20th overall) had to wait until the junior hockey season ended to be recalled. He is eligible to compete for the Flyers in the playoffs.

@sjnard