All good things eventually come to an end. That was the case Monday, as the New York Rangers fell 4-1 to the Kings in Artemi Panarin’s return to MSG. New York properly feted Panarin with a tribute video while LA was the better team from start to finish. The Rangers take on their tunnel rivals, the Devils, at the Garden this evening.
Rangers likely lineup vs. Devils:
Perreault-Zibanejad-Lafrenière
Cuylle-Trocheck-Miller
Kartye-Laba-Sheary
Raddysh-Edström-Chmelař
Gavrikov-Fox
Robertson-Schneider
Vaakanainen-Borgen
Quick
Shesterkin
Scratches: Iorio, Pärssinen, Brodzinski
IR: Rempe (thumb injury)
A few thoughts:
1) Panarin: The tribute video hit the high notes, as it should have. Panarin’s comments and body language show that he never wanted to leave, as we have discussed. GM Chris Drury made it fairly clear that Panarin was not going to be re-signed, which led to the deal with LA. His teammates certainly miss the high-scoring winger, who became part of the team’s fabric and structure during the six-plus years he was a Ranger. For the comment and argument that the team laid down to lose, athletes don’t do that. But their focus may not have been as sharp as needed before, during and after the contest.
2) The Rangers, like all teams, shook hands with the retiring Anze Kopitar after the game. In his last visit to MSG, Kopitar notched an assist, bringing his career total and franchise-best mark to 1,309 points.
Fittingly, the last player to congratulate him was Jonathan Quick, who starts tonight in net for New York. Kopitar and Quick, teammates when they won the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014, shared an extended embrace.
3) Ping-pong balls: With Monday’s loss, New York remains in last place in the Eastern Conference, five points behind Florida and six shy of Toronto, which has played two more games, and tonight’s opponent. Chicago has locked up the worst record in the Western Conference and Division with 50 points. Calgary has 59 points, Chicago sits at 62, and a hot St. Louis team has 64 points. As of March 18, New York has the fourth-best lottery odds. However, as we have seen in the past, finishing low in the standings does not guarantee a high pick.
