Rangers' Artemi Panarin 'frustrated' by scoring drought, playoff loss

Artemi Panarin wishes he could just forget it all – the way the Rangers’ season ended with a 4-0 loss to the Devils in Game 7 of the teams’ first-round playoff series Monday. Panarin seemed powerless to change anything, managing just two assists in the series.

“It's hard to forget,’’ Panarin told reporters at the Rangers’ breakup day on Wednesday. “It would be great to have that skill.’’

The series started so well for Panarin and the Rangers. The Rangers won the first two games in New Jersey by identical 5-1 scores and some were actually thinking they might sweep the young, inexperienced Devils. Panarin had two assists in Game 1, Chris Kreider had two power-play goals in each of the first two games, and life was good.

And then it turned. The Devils won both games at Madison Square Garden, and took four of five to knock the Rangers out. Panarin went pointless in the final six games of the series and his confidence seemed to ebb after he shot high and wide on a couple of scoring opportunities in Games 3 and 4. And the power play, which had been so potent in the first two games, suddenly dried up.

Even in Game 6, which the Rangers won, when Rangers coach Gerard Gallant put Panarin on the ice after the Devils pulled their goalie for an extra skater, Panarin couldn’t get a clean shot off at the empty net. Nothing worked.

“Just frustrated,’’ Panarin said when asked how he was feeling after it was over. “Pretty empty now. Can't say much. Everyone knows everything, without words. We expected we could go further (in the playoffs). But we can't change anything right now. So, we have to go back to work, and try to be ready for next year.’’

Panarin admitted that after taking some heat for not being productive enough in the 2022 playoffs – when he had six goals and 16 points in 20 games – he was desperate to produce more in 2023. But it didn’t happen.

“Honestly, the last playoffs, I turned over, like every puck,’’ he said. “This year I worked on that, and it's not that bad. And then, I don't know . . . ‘’

The Rangers managed only two goals in their four losses – single goals in Games 3 and 4, shutout losses in Games 5 and 7 – and Panarin admitted he felt some responsibility for the Rangers’ inability to score in those games.

“For sure,’’ he said. “I was just not playing well. I was playing well in the beginning, and then, I couldn’t get any results. Maybe I was frustrated too early. And then after that, it snowballed.’’

Rangers coach Gerard Gallant, though, wouldn’t pin the Rangers’ loss on Panarin or any other individual player.

“We can point fingers at certain players, but it was a group effort,’’ Gallant said. “When we won, it was a group effort. And when we lost, it was a group effort.’’

Panarin was asked if there was anything he learned about himself from this year’s experience.

“I think I can learn just to not get frustrated too early,’’ he said. “I just tried to play so much better than last year, and then, it went the other way, somehow.’’

As for how he intends to approach the offseason and getting ready for next season, Panarin said he will likely start practicing earlier this summer than usual.

“Everyone is frustrated, but when you start to practice, you start thinking about next year,’’ he said. “The playoffs keep going and then you look at the TV from home, it [stinks]. And then it reminds you (about the loss) every time, forever. So maybe when someone wins the Stanley Cup, we start a new page.’’

By Colin Stephenson

colin.stephenson@newsday.comColinSNewsday

Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.