SUNRISE, Fla. — By the point Artemi Panarin got on the board on this Eastern Conference Final, it was far too late to have a good time.
For the primary half of this playoff run, it appeared that Panarin had finally defeated the narrative that grabbed hold of his last two postseasons.
As an alternative, it struck right back at him on this Eastern Conference Final, when his goal 18:20 into the third period of the Rangers’ 2-1 loss in Game 6 to Florida counted for his first since Game 3 of the second round — an eight-game drought that lasted nearly the whole lot of a series during which the Blueshirts consistently struggled for offense.
Panarin was not the one Rangers star to conjure a disappearing act within the conference finals — three-fifths of their top power play unit didn’t rating a goal against the Panthers, and a fourth, Chris Kreider, had only one.
This season-ending series is just not solely on No. 10, or anywhere near it.
But, the very fact stays, the Rangers’ marquee superstar had just three assists and one goal on this series.
“They’ve far more time in our zone than we got [in theirs],” Panarin said. “We sort of played conservative, but they’re sort of a pressure team, all five guys. It’s dangerous, nevertheless it’s worked for them. There will be odd-man rushes, but they defended pretty much.”
Panarin produced a pair of decent possibilities early within the third period of Game 6 off the push, one among which was parried aside by Sergei Bobrovsky and the second of which Bobrovosky gloved.
Those, nonetheless, got here few and much between throughout six games during which Panarin was largely shut down.
His linemates, Alexis Lafreniere and Vincent Trocheck, picked up the slack — and in so doing, shielded Panarin from loads of criticism.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Rangers within the NHL playoffs
Lafreniere was the Rangers’ best skater within the series, Trocheck was their best skater within the playoffs writ large and their line — the just one Peter Laviolette didn’t touch when he put his forwards right into a blender Saturday — put up passable numbers within the series as an entire.
Panarin’s creativity and swagger, though, rarely shone through on this series, and he didn’t get off the schneid until it was far too late.
This was one of the best 12 months as a Ranger — one of the best 12 months within the NHL, in reality — for the 32-year-old Panarin, who accounted for 120 regular-season points and would have been up front within the Hart Trophy conversation if not for a set of players having historically terrific seasons who will find yourself ahead of him on most ballots.
And when he raised his leg for a signature kick after scoring to finish Game 3 against Carolina in time beyond regulation — on the time his ninth point in seven playoff games — it looked like his playoff arc would follow that of his regular season.
But it surely wasn’t to be.
“Tonight, whole game was 1-0,” Panarin said. “After which it’s pretty close. One goal can change every little thing. Not our way. Can’t do anything now.”
SUNRISE, Fla. — By the point Artemi Panarin got on the board on this Eastern Conference Final, it was far too late to have a good time.
For the primary half of this playoff run, it appeared that Panarin had finally defeated the narrative that grabbed hold of his last two postseasons.
As an alternative, it struck right back at him on this Eastern Conference Final, when his goal 18:20 into the third period of the Rangers’ 2-1 loss in Game 6 to Florida counted for his first since Game 3 of the second round — an eight-game drought that lasted nearly the whole lot of a series during which the Blueshirts consistently struggled for offense.
Panarin was not the one Rangers star to conjure a disappearing act within the conference finals — three-fifths of their top power play unit didn’t rating a goal against the Panthers, and a fourth, Chris Kreider, had only one.
This season-ending series is just not solely on No. 10, or anywhere near it.
But, the very fact stays, the Rangers’ marquee superstar had just three assists and one goal on this series.
“They’ve far more time in our zone than we got [in theirs],” Panarin said. “We sort of played conservative, but they’re sort of a pressure team, all five guys. It’s dangerous, nevertheless it’s worked for them. There will be odd-man rushes, but they defended pretty much.”
Panarin produced a pair of decent possibilities early within the third period of Game 6 off the push, one among which was parried aside by Sergei Bobrovsky and the second of which Bobrovosky gloved.
Those, nonetheless, got here few and much between throughout six games during which Panarin was largely shut down.
His linemates, Alexis Lafreniere and Vincent Trocheck, picked up the slack — and in so doing, shielded Panarin from loads of criticism.
Follow The Post’s coverage of the Rangers within the NHL playoffs
Lafreniere was the Rangers’ best skater within the series, Trocheck was their best skater within the playoffs writ large and their line — the just one Peter Laviolette didn’t touch when he put his forwards right into a blender Saturday — put up passable numbers within the series as an entire.
Panarin’s creativity and swagger, though, rarely shone through on this series, and he didn’t get off the schneid until it was far too late.
This was one of the best 12 months as a Ranger — one of the best 12 months within the NHL, in reality — for the 32-year-old Panarin, who accounted for 120 regular-season points and would have been up front within the Hart Trophy conversation if not for a set of players having historically terrific seasons who will find yourself ahead of him on most ballots.
And when he raised his leg for a signature kick after scoring to finish Game 3 against Carolina in time beyond regulation — on the time his ninth point in seven playoff games — it looked like his playoff arc would follow that of his regular season.
But it surely wasn’t to be.
“Tonight, whole game was 1-0,” Panarin said. “After which it’s pretty close. One goal can change every little thing. Not our way. Can’t do anything now.”
