This hasn’t been like last season, when Artemi Panarin opened with points in eight consecutive games and 15 of the first 16. It hasn’t been like 2023-24, either, when Panarin erupted for points — 26 of them in total — in each of the opening 15 Rangers games en route to a career-best 120.
Instead, it took time for the Blueshirts winger to settle into a production rhythm this year, with an upper-body injury from the end of the preseason limiting his impact in the opener.
But Panarin contributed a goal for a second consecutive game during the Rangers’ 3-1 loss to the Wild on Monday and has collected five of his seven points across the past two games.
With the offense continuing to struggle through the opening stretch, the Blueshirts will need to rely on that version of Panarin to continually produce.
“Beginning of the year, especially three games at home, like four games at home we have one goal right now,” Panarin said after the Rangers dropped to 0-4-0 at the Garden this season. “I mean, I think it’s a simple answer: generate more chances and then start focusing on shooting probably and then bodies gotta go to the net for screening.”
Even after he recovered from the injury, Panarin and his original line — alongside Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafrenière — needed to adjust after Trocheck sustained an upper-body injury in the second game of the season and eventually landed on long-term injured reserve.
Panarin mostly skated with Will Cuylle and Mika Zibanejad on Monday, though he also logged 1:58 with Miller at center and Zibanejad on the wing, too.
Panarin veered in front of the net, collected a pass from Zibanejad and sent a shot over Filip Gustavsson’s glove to open the scoring just 57 seconds into Monday’s game.
It also snapped the Rangers goalless drought at the Garden — which had stretched to a historic 180:57 mark following three consecutive shutouts to start their home slate — that had become the most glaring takeaway from their first week-plus of the season, even with plenty of consistent play in the offensive zone stringing together.
Late in the win against the Canadiens on Saturday, too, Panarin — in a contract year — took a pass from Zibanejad, blasted a shot off the post and watched as it went into the net.
He also collected assists on the other three Blueshirts goals, recording his first four-point game since Oct. 17, 2024 and again, after a brief lull, becoming the nucleus of the Rangers production.
Matthew Robertson, who has continued to impress after making the Rangers roster as the seventh defenseman and then getting a chance in their top six, collected at least 20 minutes of ice time for the first time in his NHL career Monday (20:19).
He blocked two shots, delivered two hits and attempted five shots.
With his assist on Panarin’s goal Monday, Zibanejad passed Steve Vickers and moved into 10th place in Rangers history with 341 assists.
Goaltender Igor Shesterkin entered Tuesday’s games first in the NHL for goals against average (1.17) and save percentage (.957) despite his 2-3-1 record.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
