Artemi Panarin

New York Rangers Defeat the Caps Behind Five Unanswered Goals

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After giving up two early goals, the New York Rangers scored five unanswered goals to defeat the Washington Capitals 5-2. Adam Fox scored at 6:32 of the third period, which proved to be the game-winner. It was the first time this season that the Rangers have come-back to win a game when trailing in the third period.

Fox was selected as the NHL’s First Star of the Week for the week ending on Mar. 28. Since the NHL began awarding Three Stars of the Week at the start of the 2006-07 season, Fox is only the eighth defenseman who has been named the NHL’s First Star of the Week. He is the first Rangers defenseman to win that award.  Also, Fox has recorded 20 points in March. Per @PR_NHL, Fox is the third Rangers defenseman who has recorded at least 20 points in a calendar month in franchise history.

Artemi Panarin had three points on the night with a goal and two assists. Per NYR Stats&Info, Panarin posted his fifth three-point game of the season, and all five have taken place at MSG.

Panarin’s goal came on a breakaway, as did Filip Chytil‘s, who scored the first goal of the night for the Blueshirts.

Kaapo Kakko and Pavel Buchnevich also scored for the Rangers.

Igor Shesterkin was excellent in goal, saving 30 of 32 shots, some of which were of the outstanding variety.

Ryan Strome extended his point streak to 10 games and his assist streak to nine games. With an assist in the next game, he will tie Rod Gilbert’s franchise record for consecutive games with an assist by a forward.

New York Rangers come alive and score four goals in the third period

After a lackluster first two periods, the Rangers came out fast and furious with their four-goal effort.

In his post-game interview, Chytil talked about what the difference was in the third period for the team. “We didn’t shoot too much the first two periods'” Chytil said. “We said in the locker room that we needed to shoot more. put more pucks to the net and we had a couple of nice plays.”

Shesterkin played extremely well after the first two early goals. The Rangers usually help their goalies out by limiting the number of shots that teams get on them. Coming into tonight’s game the Blueshirts had held its opponent to 30 shots on goal or fewer in 11 of the last 13 games and in 23 of 34 games this season. In his post-game Zoom conference, Shesterkin was asked about how he responded after the first two goals and he replied” “I just did my job. After the first two goals, I removed myself from that moment and continued to do my job.”

Head coach David Quinn was very pleased with his team’s response after giving up the two early goals. He talked about that and their excellent third period in his post-game Zoom conference. “We have to continue to have a shooting mentality. It’s really killing us against a team like that. We have to get more pucks to the net. I thought that third period the way we came out and got more pucks to the net. To come out with the tenacity we did was a really great sign.”

The Rangers return to action when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on both Thursday and Saturday nights.

 

 

 

 

 

New York Rangers Win Behind Mika Zibanejad’s Hat Trick

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For the second game in a row against the Philadelphia Flyers, Mika Zibanejad scored a natural hat to lead the New York Rangers to an 8-3 victory. The Rangers had jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the second period before hanging on for the win. The Rangers have recorded eight goals in a road game for the first time since Mar. 18, 2014, at Ottawa.

The Flyers got a goal from Claude Giroux in the second period. This ended, to coin a basketball phrase, a 15-0 run of goals the Rangers had scored against Philadelphia in the last two games. Per the NHL Public Relations, the 15 consecutive Ranger goals against the Flyers were tied for the third-most against one opponent in franchise history. The top two were 17 consecutive against the New York Islanders in 1972-73 and the California Golden Seals in 1974-75.

Adam Fox had five points and five assists in the contest while Ryan Strome added four points with a goal and three assists. Pavel Buchnevich has two goals in the win. Two of the team’s younger players, Filip Chytil and K’Andre Miller also added goals.

Igor Shesterkin returned to action after missing the last 11 games due to a groin injury. He saves 41 shots in the game.

Carter Hart started in net for the Flyers. He was pulled after giving up five goals on the first 11 Rangers shots.

Recently, the New York Ranger’s offensive outburst has lead to many records and streaks.

Thanks to the fine people at the NHL Public Relations and NYR Stats&Info, the New York Rangers have had many accomplishments in recent games, including this one.

The list starts with Zibanejad. With his second consecutive six-point game, Zibanejad has become the first player in NHL history to record 6+ points in consecutive games played against one opponent within a regular season. Also, he is the second Ranger who has posted two different six-point games in franchise history (along with Anders Hedberg) and the first to do so in the same season.

A modest Zibanejad talked about his recent hot-streak in his post-game Zoom conference. “The puck seems to be going in right now. It’s nice to be able to contribute offensively for this team, especially since the first part of the season. Obviously, it is a great feeling when you win and you can contribute.”

For Fox, he tied single-game Rangers franchise records for defensemen with five assists and five points in tonight’s game. The other defenseman with five was Brian Leetch,  who did that on April 18, 1995, against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Between Zibanejad and Fox, the Rangers have had a forward and a defenseman each tally five points in the same game for the first time in franchise history. The last time the New York Rangers had two players record five or more points in the same game was when Mark Messier and Adam Graves did that in November of 1992 at Pittsburgh.

Finally, Zibanejad, Strome, and Fox have each recorded four or more points tonight. Prior to tonight’s game, the last time the Rangers had three players tally four or more points in the same game was Dec. 28, 2005, at the New York Islanders.

The teams will square off again Saturday afternoon. It will be interesting to see how the game starts as the Flyers were clearly frustrated by the second straight big loss to the Blueshirts. There were a handful of physical altercations within the last couple of minutes of the game.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Rangers Able to Squeak by the Woeful Buffalo Sabres

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New York Rangers, Chris Kreider

The New York Rangers were able to take advantage of a slumping team by defeating the Buffalo Sabres by the score of 5-3. Chris Kreider and Kaapo Kakko scored two goals each for the Blueshirts.

Carter Hutton started in net for Buffalo and made two saves before leaving 2:51 into the game after Julien Gauthier slid hard into him while being pushed by Sabres defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen. Former Ranger Dustin Tokarski, called up from the taxi squad earlier in the day, came on and finished the game.

The Rangers continue with their habit of playing close games this season. Eighteen of the Rangers’ 30 games this season have been decided by two or fewer goals, and 13 of those games have been decided by one goal.

With his second goal, Kreider scored his 173rd career goal with the Rangers, tying Mike Gartner and Tomas Sandstrom for 18th place on the franchise’s all-time goals list, per NYR StatsandInfo. His first goal was on the power play, tying him with Sandstrom for 13th place on the franchise’s all-time power-play goals list. His second was also a power-play, passing Sandstrom on that list.

Adam Fox scored the third goal of the second period, skating in his 100th career NHL game. He has registered 60 points (10 goals, 50 assists) in his first 99 career NHL games. Fox has also been somewhat of an ironman for the Rangers this season, leading the team in ice time in 24 of 30 games. He also had two assists in the game.

The New York Rangers and Fox continue to play solid defense in front of their net

Even though Keith Kinkaid had to make only 16 saves in the game, a couple of the saves could have categorized as outstanding. The Rangers continue to play well in front of their goalies. Heading into tonight’s game, they had held their opponent to 30 shots on goal or fewer in each of the last nine games and in 21 of 30 games this season.

In his post-game Zoom conference, Mika Zibanejad talked about the Ranger’s solid defensive play, especially Adam Fox.”He is unbelievable. The way he plays with the puck, I think everyone can see that. He is so calm and I feel that he makes the right decision all of the time. Defensively he has been really good this year, teaming up with Lindgren, and I feel like they have been rock solid.”

Acting head coach Kris Knoblauch echoed Zibanejad’s words in his post-game Zoom conference. “He (Fox) is really good defensively, making the read. He is not overly physical, he doesn’t play the game like Trouba or Lindgren but he is able to defend with the skills he has.”

The Rangers face two huge games coming up, traveling to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers Thursday night and Saturday afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

The New York Rangers mid-season report card

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With the New York Rangers playing just over half of their games for the 2020-21 season, it is time to assess how the Blueshirts have played to this point.

Going into Sunday night’s action, the Rangers are 13-13-4, sitting in sixth place in the East Division. They are six points behind the Boston Bruins for the fourth and final playoff spot.

Having one of the youngest teams in the league, inconsistency was to be expected, and it has happened.

New York Rangers forwards grade: C

Much of the forwards issues center around Mika Zibanejad. To be fair, his slow start could have been due to his bout with COVID-19 during training camp. Even though he will not say it, this appears to have been a huge factor in his slow start.

Nevertheless, the Ranger’s offense was not as it was last year, even though they have many of the same cast, along with the addition of the first overall pick.

In 2019-20, the Rangers averaged 3.33 goals per game to rank fifth in the NHL. This year, they are averaging 3.00 goals per game, good for just 15th place ranking in the league.

It has not helped that Artemi Panarin missed 11 games with an injury and a personal leave of absence. He was sorely missed during this time.

The Ranger’s power play has struggled, possibly missing Tony DeAngelo who did do a fine job of being the quarterback for that unit. Lost

Lost faceoffs have been an issue for the offense and the power play. too many times this season, the Ranger’s power play seems to be chasing the puck back in their own end, after losing a faceoff and having their opponents clear the puck.

New York Rangers defense-grade: B+

New assistant coach Jacques Martin has done an outstanding job of getting this unit ready for the season.

In addition to Adam Fox and Jacob Trouba, K’Andre Miller has been a pleasant surprise in his rookie season.

Last year under defensive coach Lindy Ruff, the Rangers ranked 23rd in goals against (3.14 per game) and 30th in shots allowed (34.0 per). This season, the Rangers rank 11th in goals against (2.68) and eighth in shots allowed (28.6). This is even with some inconsistent goaltending.

The penalty kill has been superb. A group that finished 23rd last season is ranked fourth this year. They are pressuring the puck more and force opposition power plays to move it quickly. The defense still needs to be a little tougher in front of the net (think Alex Ovechkin‘s two goals Friday night), but overall this unit has been very solid.

New York Rangers goaltending grade: C

The Rangers can thank Keith Kinkaid for receiving even this high of a mark.

Igor Shesterkin and Alexandar Georgiev were supposed to be the one-two punch in the net for now and the future. Besides the Islander’s shutout, Georgiev has given up way too many soft goals. He is also getting himself out of position, leaving the net open for opponents. (Again, reflect back on Ovechkin’s first goal on Friday)

While Shesterkin still recovers from a “minor” groin strain, he has also been guilty of giving up too many soft goals.

Think about it, have the Rangers won a game this year when they were outplayed? No, because the goalies have been unable to steal even a single one in the first half of the season.

New York Rangers coaching grade: Incomplete

While basing head coach David Quinn has been fashionable, the reality of what is going on in the world has made it necessary to not evaluate a coaching staff until the entire season has been completed.

Plus, it would be a bit insensitive to grade a coaching staff who is sitting home due to the NHL COVID protocols. It is possible that one or even more of the coaches have contracted the virus.

While it is great to win games, one of the other tasks of a coach is to teach and develop players. One can argue that he has done that with some, and not so much with others.

Overall, Quinn and the Rangers are sitting exactly at the point in the standings that many pundits thought they would be at, and where they will be at the end of the season.

After the season is the best time, especially during a pandemic, to look at how the coaching staff has done their jobs.

 

 

 

 

New York Rangers fall on two Ovechkin third period goals

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The New York Rangers took a one-goal lead into the third period, but Alex Ovechkin scored twice in the third period and the Washington Capitals rallied for their seventh consecutive win by the score of 2-1.

Artemi Panarin scored the first and only Ranger goal at 16:42 of the first period. Per the fine people at NYR Stats&Info, Panarin extended his point streak to four games. He has also registered a point in each of his last eight games against the Capitals and has tallied 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in his last five games against Washington.

Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev allowed just those two goals to Ovechkin on 18 shots in the loss.

The New York Rangers were done in by Ovechkin

Coming into the game, Ovechkin had six goals and one assist over the last 10 games for Washington.  He recorded his 147th career multi-goal game and tied Gordie Howe for fourth place on the League’s all-time list. Ovechkin has seven goals in his past seven games and 720 in the NHL, 11 behind Marcel Dionne for fifth place in NHL history.

After the game, Jacob Trouba talked about the game and the Ovechkin goals in his post-game Zoom conference. “We had some breakdowns but we liked how we played. He had a couple of rebounds in the last five minutes, it’s tough to lose that way. That is a team that has been playing really well and they have some high-powered offensive weapons.”

Acting coach Kris Knoblauch said in his post-game Zoom conference that “I think on the first Ovechkin goal it was a matter of sorting out who was the first man back. Goal scorers find a way to score goals and usually it is around the net. It was a small mistake but ultimately you can’t keep him off the score sheet all the time.”

There was a little bit of good news on Friday, as the Rangers reported that goaltender Igor Shesterkin skated Friday morning and remains day to day with a strained groin. Keith Kinkaid backed up Georgiev while Shesterkin missed his eighth consecutive game since getting injured on March 4.

The two teams will square off again in Washington with a 7 p.m. puck drop.

 

 

New York Rangers rally behind substitute coaches in beating the Flyers 9-0

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On an unusual night, the New York Rangers showed some unusual offensive prowess in beating the Philadelphia Flyers 9-0.

What made this game unusual was that head coach David Quinn and assistants Jacques Martin, David Oliver, and Greg Brown were not available for the game. They are were out due to the NHL COVID-19 protocol guidelines.

Kris Knoblauch, coach of Hartford of the American Hockey League, the Rangers’ affiliate, replaced Quinn as acting coach for the game. Hartford associate coach Gord Murphy and Rangers associate general manager Chris Drury were the assistants.

The Rangers responded in a big way with their 9 goal output. In his post-game Zoom interview, goalie Alexandar Georgiev said of the nine-goal effort: “I have no words, to be honest. It was surreal. I obviously tried to focus on my job but you could not ignore how unbelievable the guys were playing.” Georgiev stopped all 26 shots to earn the shutout victory. This was a big win for the young goaltender after being pulled in his last two games.

Mika Zibanejad tallied six points in the New York Ranger victory

Mika Zibanejad was nothing short of brilliant in tying an NHL record by scoring six points in the second period of the New York Rangers’ win. Zibanejad scored a natural hat trick and had three assists to join former New York Islanders center Bryan Trottier as the only players to score six points in a period of an NHL game.

Pavel Buchnevich scored four points (two goals, two assists) after missing the game Monday, a 5-4 overtime loss against the Flyers because he was on the NHL COVID-19 protocol list. Buchnevich was only told of him being eligible to play this morning. After the game, he told the media that “I don’t know what was going on there, I have the antibodies.”

Artemi Panarin, Brendan Lemieux, and Filip Chytil also scored goals for the Rangers.

In his post-game Zoom conference, Zibanejad talked about how the team came together after hearing about the coaches who were placed on the list. “You get a little shock when you hear that, you just have to be able to adapt. We came together as a group and played for each other.”

They will need to come together regardless of who is on the bench as the Rangers travel to Washington on Friday and Saturday to take on the division-leading Capitals.

 

 

 

 

New York Rangers fall to the Philadelphia Flyers in overtime thriller

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In a back-and-forth game, the New York Rangers got sloppy with the puck in overtime and fell to the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4. Jakub Voracek intercepted a Keith Kinkaid pass and scored at 3:47 of overtime to give the Flyers the win.

The Rangers played the game without Adam Fox, Pavel Buchnevich, and Phil DiGuiseppe. The three Rangers were earlier placed on the NHL’s COVID protocol list. This also led the Rangers to cancel their morning skate, something that may have influenced their slow start. The Flyers jumped out to a 2-0 first-period lead against the Rangers who came out very flat.

Tarmo Reunanen was called up and got his first NHL assist on Artemi Panarin‘s second-period goal. Panarin had two assists in the Rangers’ three-goal second period, and Colin Blackwell, Julien Gauthier, and Kevin Rooney also scored.

Head coach David Quinn talked after this game in his Zoom conference on the importance of Panarin’s return.

“You can see how our lineup is totally different when he is in there,” Quinn said. “We are just a much more of a balanced team. When you have a player of that caliber in your lineup, you are that more dangerous. The whole team feels better about itself and he has certainly given us that jolt in the two games he has played.”

The New York Rangers start slow after losing three players to COVID

Jacob Trouba talked about everything that went on during the last day in the post-game Zoom conference. “Before the game, it was a wild 24 hours for us. We didn’t get off to the start we wanted but I thought we came out and played much better in the second. It was kind of back and forth in the third but we lost the special teams game which was pretty telling.”

Quinn also addressed how his team rebounded from the slow start. “You have to shake off bad stretches. every team has them during the course of a game. How quickly can you shake them off and how quickly can you stop the bleeding? I really like our start of the second. I thought our guys approached it the right way.”

The Rangers will face the Flyers again on Wednesday night, with a 7:30 puck drop due to the national broadcast on NBCSN.

 

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The New York Rangers blank Boston in Artemi Panarin’s return

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New York Rangers, Artemi Panarin

The New York Rangers finally got the total 60 minutes of complete play that head coach David Quinn wanted. The Rangers scored in each of the three periods in defeating the Bruins 4-0. The game also saw the return of Artemi Panarin, who had missed the past nine games for personal reasons.

The Rangers got goals from K’Andre Miller, Chris Kreider, Pavel Buchnevich, and Ryan Strome. Mika Zibanejad had two assists. Panarin got an assist on Strome’s goal, but it was obvious that his presence gave the Rangers a huge emotional boost after losing three straight games.

Kreider continues to be one of the main contributors to the Blueshirts. Per NYR Stats&Info, Kreider’s nine goals since Feb. 24 are the most in the NHL over the span. His 13 points over the span are the third-most in the NHL.

Keith Kinkaid made 18 saves for the shutout victory. He earned his first win since Oct. 31, 2019, and his first shutout since Nov. 15, 2018. Kinkaid was bolstered by a solid defense, led by Adam Fox and Miller. With over 23 minutes of ice time, Miller has logged 20 or more minutes of ice time in more games than any other NHL rookie thus far in the season.

While the veterans stepped up for the Rangers, so did many of their younger players. Over the last 10 games, at least one Ranger who is 23 years old or younger has tallied a point on 23 of the team’s 29 goals. In addition, at least one Ranger who is 23 years old or younger has tallied a point on nine of the team’s last 10 goals.

The New York Rangers got a huge boost from the return of Panarin

“It was definitely a huge boost getting him (Panarin) back,” Zibanejad said in his post-game interview. “Not only just for the game but for having him around all the guys again. I thought the whole team really came together today. A real team win, as we played really solid over the 60 minutes and I think he had something to do with that.”

Head coach David Quinn echoed those sentiments in his post-game Zoom conference. “Having back meant so many things. Not just on the ice but mentally.” Quinn said. Our guys certainly hold him in high esteem. He is a well-liked teammate. Our guys were dying for him to come back for a lot of reasons. We put him back in our lineup and all of a sudden we got a little more swagger. Having him in our lineup certainly gave us a jolt.”

Strome talked about the importance of this win during his post-game interview. “I thought we all came to play today,” Strome said. “Up and down the lineup, everyone contributed whether it was on the score sheet or not. Everyone was a part of the game and everyone was part of the win. We need to string them together and we need to be a little more consistent.”

The Rangers return home from this six-game road trip on Monday against the Philadelphia Flyers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New York Rangers get a needed shot in the arm with Panarin returning

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New York Rangers, Artemi Panarin

The New York Rangers got some welcome news on Wednesday. Artemi Panarin stepped on the ice for the first time in a couple of weeks after taking time off for personal reasons. Like many around the country, Panarin’s presence should provide a big lift for a team on the outside looking in for a playoff spot.

Panarin left the team on February 22 due to a claim made by a former coach in Russia that he had physically assaulted an 18-year-old woman 10 years ago. The Rangers, in a statement that day, “vehemently and unequivocally” denied the allegations, called the story “fabricated” and an “intimidation tactic” for Panarin’s social media outspokenness in opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

However, head coach David Quinn had said that Panarin will not play on Thursday.

“He’s here today, practiced today, will skate again tomorrow. So as far as I’m concerned he’s here and just getting ready to play.” Quinn said Wednesday after practice. “To me, he’s all-in and ready to go to. He’s been off the ice for a while, so we’ve got to get him game-ready.”

Panarin was not made available for comment after practice. He has not publicly addressed the situation since it broke in February.

Quinn also told the media that Panarin has the full support of his teammates.

“These guys are fully in his corner.” Quinn said “They understand the situation. So, the fact that he’s got such a great relationship with all these guys has made all of this a lot easier.”

Even Panarin’s presence should boost the morale of the New York Rangers

No matter when Panarin returns, his presence should give a boost to a team that has struggled in two straight losses to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Things don’t get any easier with two games against the Bruins coming up.

“It’s great having Bread back,” Ryan Lindgren said after Wednesday’s practice. “You know, he’s such a positive, energetic guy. It was just great seeing him and having him back in the locker room. There are so many different elements he brings off the ice.”

The Rangers need this kind of boost and quickly.

After Tuesday’s loss, the Rangers were seven points out of a playoff spot. The team that currently holds the final playoff spot is the same Boston Bruins that the Blueshirts face in back-to-back games. After that the Flyers come to town for two games, followed by a two-game trip to Washington to face the Capitals. All of these teams are ahead of the Rangers in the standings.

This delivery by the “Breadman”, on and off the ice, could be the boost needed to keep the Rangers in the East Division playoff hunt.

 

 

Chris Kreider hat trick wasted as the New York Rangers fall to the Flyers

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New York Rangers, Chris Kreider

The New York Rangers valiantly rallied from a two-goal deficit but the comeback fell just short as the Blueshirts fell to the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3. The Rangers were playing without some of their top players, missing such key pieces as
Artemi Panarin, Kaapo Kakko, K’Andre Miller, Filip Chytil, and Jacob Trouba. Miller was lost to the team when he was added to the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol list. Earlier on Wednesday, the NHL postponed Thursday’s game between the Sharks and Vegas Golden Knights due to a player entering the COVID-19 protocols. However, the Rangers-Flyers game was allowed to proceed.

“We’d love to have all of our guys healthy and ready to go,” Rangers coach David Quinn said. “We’re no different than most teams in the league. We don’t have that luxury right now.”

Igor Shesterkin made 35 saves for the Blueshirts (6-8-3), which had won three in a row on the road. The Rangers were outshot in this game 39-27.

Chris Kreider nets a hat trick for the New York Rangers

Chris Kreider was the star of the night by scoring all three goals for the Rangers. It was his third career NHL hat trick and his first since Dec. 31, 2016, at Colorado. Kreider was also the first Ranger who registered a hat trick against the Flyers since Ryan Callahan on Feb. 11, 2012, at Philadelphia.

Two of Kreider’s goals were scored on the power-play. Kreider has now registered two power-play goals in a game for the fourth time in his NHL career and for the first time since Nov. 15, 2018, at the Islanders.

Claude Giroux had three assists in his return from a COVID-19 absence but the Flyers still played without Jakub Voracek, Travis Konecny, Oskar Lindblom, and Scott Laughton because of COVID protocols.

The Rangers return to action on Friday when they host the Boston Bruins. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 P.M.