Rangers' Panarin finally took his shot
Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant talks with referee TJ Luxmore, lower right, during the third period in Game 6 of an NHL Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Friday. Credit: AP/Gene J. Puskar
Artemi Panarin had already taken five shots before connecting on his overtime winner in the Rangers’ 4-3 Game 7 victory over the Penguins on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.
And the artful playmaker may be ready to concede that he really should be shooting the puck more.
“Overall, honestly, they’ve been letting me shoot since the first game,” said Panarin, who scored his second career playoff overtime winner. “My bad. I haven’t really been making those shots. But I maybe should listen to everyone’s advice now and get out there and take shots.”
Panarin’s six shots matched the game high and gave him 17 in the first-round series.
He was asked whether this goal was the biggest of his career.
“Let’s say yes,” Panarin said. “It’s hard to say. I don’t really score that many goals so I’d say all of them are pretty big.”
Igor a savior
Goalie Igor Shesterkin stopped 42 shots as he totaled 255 saves over the seven games. That’s the most saves in a playoff series by a Rangers’ netminder since the NHL started tracking shots on goal in 1955-56.
“He was good,” defenseman Jacob Trouba said. “He’s Mr. Reliable back there. I think everybody knows, not just our team, he’s going to show up in big games and play well and makes saves he’s probably not supposed to make.”
Gallant: It was a high stick
Jake Guentzel made an incredible individual effort to give the Penguins a 2-1 lead on the power play at 10:18 of the second period, kicking Bryan Rust’s feed to the low slot into the air and swatting the puck past Shesterkin. The goalie immediately protested Guentzel hit the puck with a high stick – over the crossbar – but it was ruled a goal on the ice and confirmed via video review.
“We thought it was a high stick,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “It was really close. They’re tough calls to make for the officials.”
Gallant also thought the puck struck the glass before going over as Kaapo Kakko was called for delay of game at 9:43 of the second period, leading to Guentzel’s goal.
Notes & quotes
The upcoming second-round series will mark the first time the Rangers have faced the Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers franchise in a best-of-seven series. The Hurricanes swept the Rangers in a best-of-five qualifying series in the 2020 playoff bubble in Toronto…The Rangers became the first team in NHL playoff history with three straight comeback wins in elimination games within the same series…Adam Fox became the seventh defenseman in NHL history with at least one point in all seven games of a playoff series. He’s also the first in Rangers’ team history to accomplish the feat…Top-six forward Rickard Rakell returned to the Penguins’ lineup after suffering an upper-body injury in Game 1.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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