Artemi Panarin beginning to understand he should shoot more
Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant fist bumps left wing Artemi Panarin after Panarin scored the game-winning goal against the Penguins during overtime in Game 7 of an NHL Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Credit: AP/Adam Hunger
Artemi Panarin already had 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 if 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 saved it
Goalie Igor Shesterkin stopped 42 shots and totaled 255 saves in the seven games, including 79 in the Penguins’ triple-overtime victory in Game 1. 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 make saves he’s probably not supposed to make.”
Gallant: It was 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 that 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.
Blue notes
The upcoming Eastern Conference semifinal 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 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.
