Panarin rewrote a bunch of records in one match. The Russian has already caught up with Gretzky

While the Rangers lead the Eastern Conference, San Jose remains in last place in the league. However, for the Blueshirts this match could hardly be called a victory on schedule. Although the Sharks are still the worst in the NHL, they have made significant progress recently.

It’s hard to believe, but San Jose’s power play has been performing better than the Rangers since the middle of last month. In addition, the Sharks defeated New Jersey (6:3) in the last meeting, which undoubtedly should have given them confidence in the away match at Madison Square Garden.

This is what ultimately happened: already in the 4th minute, the home players allowed the counterattack to break even, and Jonathan Quick was unable to protect his teammates. And if not for Artemy Panarin, who played almost the best match of the season, the “sharks” could well have taken two points.

Panarin saved the Rangers holiday

San Jose’s minimal advantage did not last long. In the middle of the period, Panarin, as part of a special team of the majority, put the puck almost from the blue line with his wrists into the far upper corner.

Thus, the forward extended his scoring streak at home to 10 matches from the start of the season. According to this indicator, he came in second place in the entire history of the club, equaling Brian Leach (1991/92) and Wayne Gretzky (1996/97). To set the all-time record, Panarin needs to score points in his next five games at Madison Square Garden.

A few minutes later, the “sharks” took the lead again, but Panarin almost immediately equalized the score by scoring a double. This time the Russian forward played successfully in finishing after Mika Zibanejad’s throw. At the end of the period, the Rangers finally seized the initiative and took the lead for the first time in the match after Zibanejad’s goal.

After an incredible period, the Swedish forward became an anti-hero at the beginning of the second period: he earned a sending off, which the “sharks” converted. However, Rangers had no plans to give up two points to the league’s worst team at home. In the middle of the second 20 minutes, Alexis Lafreniere could have contributed to the hosts’ victory, but did not convert the shootout. Before the break, Peter Laviolette’s team still put the pressure on the opponent and managed to upset the visiting keeper again – 4:3.

The third period began with a cap hit in honor of Panarin. The Rangers took advantage of the fire that the Sharks started on their own blue line and fired several shots on target, and the Russian forward again played well on the finish. For the striker, this is already the fifth hat-trick in his career and the third for the Rangers.

Artemy Panarin / Photo: © REUTERS / Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

In the middle of the period, the San Jose players again acted strangely in their own zone, giving the puck to the opponent. This time, Kay-Andre Miller punished the guests for the mistake after Panarin’s pass. The Russian forward now has 19 matches with four or more points. Only three active hockey players are ahead of Artemy in this indicator: Connor McDavid (34), Leon Draisaitl (24) and Nikita Kucherov (24).

After the sixth goal, the Rangers decided that their job was done. And we almost missed the victory. At the end of the final period, the “sharks” hit Quick’s goal twice. In particular, Alexander Barabanov scored for the first time after his return. However, the guests did not have enough time to equalize the score.

As a result, the Rangers won a difficult match against an outsider – 6:5, and strengthened their leadership in the East. In addition, the club celebrated a major anniversary: ​​the team from New York won its 3,000th regular season victory in history. It took the Blue Shirts 97 years and 17 days to achieve this. The Rangers are only the fifth club in NHL history to reach this milestone.

The celebration took place thanks to the Russian forward Panarin, whom Laviolette did not forget to praise after the meeting.

“He’s always been a really good player, and I really think he’s an elite hockey player.” But when you watch him day in and day out, when you watch him play and what he does, I think you start to appreciate him even more,” Laviolette said.

In addition, Panarin (15) entered the top 5 snipers in the league. Only two accurate throws separate him from the first line.