The Rangers; A Tale of Defeat and Triumph
It was on a Thursday night, in North Carolina, that one of the Rangers became both a hero and a goat. Amidst the clamor and desperation hanging in the atmosphere of the PNC Arena, Artemi Panarin, for the Rangers, pierced through the hearts of the Hurricanes. He scored the game-winning goal in overtime, taking the Rangers to a 3-0 series lead.
With the reality of a tied game due to Carolina’s six-on-five goal, Panarin, in the confined space of the PNC Arena visitors’ dressing room, urged his team not to lose hope but to stay resilient while heading into overtime.
However, Saturday night had a different narrative altogether. The Rangers suffered a disheartening 4-3 loss to Carolina in Game 4 at the PNC Arena. A game where they had fought back twice against two-goal deficits, only to tie at 3-3 in the third period. This game represented a significant shift not only for the Rangers but for Panarin too.
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In a quick turn of events, the Hurricanes gained a 1-0 lead, a swift move owing to an unassisted goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov just 1:51 into the game. This lead was the initial blow to the Rangers. Panarin arrived a tad late to reach a puck near the blue line that Tony DeAngelo, a former Rangers defenseman, had obtained.
This delay led to Stefan Noesen’s goal, with the Rangers’ defenseman Jacob Trouba unable to clear Carolina’s Jordan Staal from the goal crease. This resulted in a 2-0 Hurricanes lead at the first period’s 6:33 mark. Martin Necas wasted no time taking the free puck, fired a shot at the Rangers goalie, Igor Shesterkin, and Noesen sealed the deal with the rebound.
The Rangers attempted a comeback, cutting the Hurricanes’ lead to 2-1 after the Noesen goal. Nevertheless, they were in for another shock. Panarin joined his shift slightly late and took a poor angle on Hurricanes center Jake Guentzel behind the Rangers’ net.
Moments after, Guentzel passed Sebastian Aho the puck in the slot. With Panarin now outmaneuvered by Aho in front of the net. Aho nailed a shot past Shesterkin, and suddenly it’s a 3-1 lead for Carolina.
This marked the first time in this postseason that the Rangers had trailed by more than one goal.
Despite the circumstances, it’s important to note that Panarin certainly wasn’t the only reason for the Rangers’ loss in Game 4. However, he did play some part in setting them up for the early roadblocks, albeit subtly.
“We found ourselves in a hole early,” Rangers’ coach Laviolette confessed post-game. He attributed mistakes, poor defense, and lack of focus as some of the factors contributing to the loss. When asked about Panarin’s slip-ups, Laviolette was quick to deflect.
The coach pointed out that they, too, had a good team, strong players and that any player could get caught on the wrong side. “It’s not just Panarin,” he said, implying that the entire team could have made better decisions both offensively and defensively.
As Game 4 neared, the Rangers’ plan was to keep the Hurricanes from gaining any early hope. However, Carolina’s coach Rod Brind’Amour had a different idea. “We wanted to rely on relentless pressure, and we had to do it in the first period. We weren’t going to be playing anymore.”
The irony of the night was the shaky start from Panarin, who ironically was described by Martin Necas. Before the game as a player with a knack for turning the game around. Necas admitted that players like Panarin can be easily overlooked but can turn the game around instantly.
That night, however, it was the Hurricanes that had the upper hand over Panarin and not vice versa.
