Artemi Panarin extends his point streak to 10 games to start season
Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren skates against the Hurricanes in the first period of an NHL game at Madison Square Garden on March 21. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Rangers forward Artemi Panarin played in his 600th career NHL game Thursday in the Blueshirts’ 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Madison Square Garden.
Panarin set up the Rangers’ first goal, by Chris Kreider 2:41 into the game on the power play that opened the scoring.
For Panarin, the assist extended his point-scoring streak to 10 games — he has a point in every game this season — and that ties him for the third-longest scoring streak to open a season in franchise history.
Bob Nevin, in 1968-69, also scored in the first 10 games of a season. Rod Gilbert holds the franchise record, scoring in the first 14 games in the 1972-73 season. Darren Turcotte is second on the list, scoring in the first 11 games in 1989-90.
Kreider, meanwhile, scored his seventh goal of the season (that leads the team) and the 272nd of his career, which tied him with Andy Bathgate for the fourth-most in Rangers history. His five power-play goals this season leads the NHL.
Laviolette ‘didn’t like hit’
Defenseman Adam Fox left the game with 5:37 remaining in the first period after a knee-to-knee collision with Carolina forward Sebastian Aho.
Rangers coach Peter Laviolette, when asked what he thought about the collision (it was not deemed a penalty by the referees) said: “I didn’t like the hit.’’
Fox quarterbacked the Rangers’ first two power plays, and they went 1-for-2 with him running the point.
After he left, Erik Gustafsson moved up from the second power-play unit to fill in for him. The power play went 0-for-3 with Gustafsson on the first unit.
“Gustafsson has been a first-unit power play guy for most of his career,’’ Laviolette said. “And so, obviously, there’s a there’s going to be a little transition there, I think . . . But if we need him to, he’ll be more than capable of jumping in there.’’
Blue notes
Laviolette dressed the same lineup for the seventh consecutive game, meaning D Zac Jones and RW Tyler Pitlick were the healthy scratches.
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.
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