RALEIGH, N.C. — There was beauty and beauty in Artemi Panarin’s backhand deflection from Vincent Trocheck’s relay to win Game 3 in overtime here on Thursday. There was both simplicity.
Few players have the world-class ability to change the direction of the puck like this. But every player in the league, really around the world, has the ability to go in front of the net. It’s a place Panarin won’t venture to, and it’s exactly where No. 10 was when he scored.
This is reminiscent of the criticism that has dogged Marian Gaborik, another supremely talented No. 10. He scored over 40 goals in two of his three-plus seasons on Broadway, yet somehow found a way to score two early goals against the Rangers on Broadway. 2014 Cup Final after being traded to the Kings.
Perhaps that was out of character for Great Gabby. Maybe that was a little out of character for Panarin. But not now. He’s not in the playoffs. Not in this Rangers team, where consent is the password to success.
“You mentioned [Panarin] “Maybe it’s because the puck is mostly on his stick and he’s not the guy in front of the net, but I think everyone has to do everything,” head coach Peter Laviolette said of the team. spoke hours before attempting to completely dominate the Canes in Saturday’s game. Game 4. “If you want to be with him, he’s going to be hitting finishing hits in the corner.
“If you want to be with him, he puts his body on the line and blocks shots. had to go to
“So everyone has to do everything.”
That was the formula for the Blueshirts, who entered Saturday with a 7-0 record in the playoffs. The game was going well until some disturbing news surfaced regarding Filip Sitil, who made an apparently winning return in Thursday’s Game 3 after a 188-day absence related to post-concussion issues. He was close to achieving his grades, but woke up “sick” on Saturday. To Laviolette.
“He felt great [Friday], went to the team meal,” the coach said. “I woke up this morning feeling sick.”
Red flag warning.
Even if something bad happens to a good guy who is widely loved by his teammates, the Rangers have to live with it. That poses another obstacle. That presents another challenge.
The Blueshirts thought they had the strongest 20 players on the ice for Game 3. Without Sitil, they would likely have a lineup similar to the one that ranked first in the league with 114 points overall. If Sitil were to break down again, it would have significant and heartbreaking consequences, but it should not affect the club’s future focus.
“We’re in a situation where maybe other teams would be down, but we have a lot of faith in this team,” Lindgren said. “I don’t know what it is exactly, but it speaks to our leadership, our coaching staff and our belief in each other that no matter what happens, we will continue to play our style.”
The Rangers were a plus-one point into the playoffs on the penalty kill, scoring three short-handed goals while allowing two on the power play. In this series, they were 15-15 against Carolina, who finished second in the NHL in percentage shooting, and 15-5 in the first-round, five-game series against the Islanders. The power play, which was blanked in Game 3, ranked third overall at 10 of 29, 34.5 percent.
“When it comes to the penalty kill, we have to look for offense if we have a chance. The power play has to make a difference,” Laviolette said. “Checkers players, we have to let them drive the attack.
“Everyone has to play their part in this long playoff run, and that’s about the whole team. You can’t pick and choose what you want to do.”
It’s not business as usual for a team to sweep their first two opponents in a best-of-seven game. In fact, something like this hasn’t happened since the NHL adopted this four-round playoff format in 1987. However, the Rangers, who defeated the Caps in the first round, did business as usual as they looked to advance to their second conference finals. This is the first time in three years and the fifth time in the past 13 seasons.
“We’re going about our business like any other game so far in the playoffs,” Laviolette said. “That’s spot on.”
