As it has been pretty much from the day he put on the blues shirt, Artemi Panarin was in the thick of it. That included a goal and a few assists in the first two periods of Monday’s Garden game against the Flyers.
It also included an unpredictable overtime move that went awry and led directly to Jakub Voracek’s breakaway winner at 3:47, giving Philadelphia a 5-4 win in a match where the Blueshirts were half sloppy, half urgent and, well, Just no. quite able to get it done despite a 3-2 and 4-3 lead
Want to give the Blueshirts an entry trophy for getting close after learning they should play without Adam Fox, Pavel Buchnevich and Phil Di Giuseppe, who were placed on the COVID-19 protocol list? Be our guest. That’s basically what the loser’s point represents, isn’t it?
The first period was predictably miserable in the wake of the morning skate cancellation for protective reasons after the blueshirts were eliminated on Sunday. But after a 2-0 defeat, the Rangers recovered and the Flyers appeared to be on the run after Panarin scored a goal and two assists on his team’s first three goals.
It was as if Panarin never missed those nine games after taking a leave of absence in the wake of those baseless allegations of sexual assault against him. In fact, it was like it was 2019-20 again, with the Russian Rockette dictating and creating as he went on.
Panarin spoke to the press for the first time since Andrei Nazarov’s allegations on Feb. 22, but deferred comment on the matter.
“This probably isn’t the time to talk about it,” Panarin said through a translator. “I have nothing to hide. I will discuss everything after the season, but now the focus is on the game and not on these discussions.”
Okay, then let’s shift the focus to Panarin’s game, which hasn’t missed a beat. In fact, No. 10 even seemed revived after missing nine games, driving the game with speed and precision.
“I haven’t really changed my routine. Maybe I rested more, ”Panarin said when asked if he should prepare for his return. “Maybe that is the lesson that sometimes you have to rest, and that you will play better.”
If Panarin was referring to load management, the Blueshirts may have benefited from that in the early days when Keith Kinkaid himself was too wobbly to support the team that had been and looked like this since Saturday.
But the Blueshirts picked up the pace and played the entire second period with energy and urgency, taking a 3-2 lead over goals from Panarin, Colin Blackwell and Julien Gauthier, the latter of whom impressed with the puck but also in the penalty area. three different times for carelessness.
One moment you just can’t understand how David Quinn could scratch the 23-year-old power winger, as the coach has done seven times. The next moment you don’t understand how Quinn could ever play him, even in a remodel.
The 3-2 lead was cleared at 6:36 pm when Joel Farabee scored a power play goal with Gauthier in the penalty area. And after Kevin Rooney gave the Blueshirts a 4-3 lead early in the third, Voracek tied the score on a power play goal at 5:33 with Gauthier in the penalty area in front of a high-sticking double minor.
The Rangers played with gusto. They had a big advantage in territorial play, Mika Zibanejad was assertive, Chris Kreider just drove, but there were still too many blunders and too many missed opportunities. This was a match that seemed to have taken hold of the Rangers. But not completely.
Panarin, who tried to beat Kinkaid’s gentle overtime, tried to get feed-out via Voracek on the left wing, but failed, leaving the Flyers winger only on the goaltender, opting to focus on the positive .
“I was very happy that, unlike at the beginning of the year, the team didn’t get in the mood and came back after giving up a few goals,” said No. 10. “We didn’t have that quality early in the season. That quality is increasingly evident. That worked out tonight and I am very happy with the response. “