Artemi Panarin has been to the playoffs four times, twice each with the Blackhawks and Blue Jackets, while recording a quite respectable, if not awe-inspiring, 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 27 contests.
“Three times we [were eliminated] in the first round and it would be nice if we go a little longer—and not a little,” Panarin said in an amiable back-and-forth without using an interpreter following Tuesday’s practice. “For me, I just try to play like I play every time.
“One hundred percent of my power and my emotion and everything go into hockey and bring that to the rink. That’s all I can do.”
The stakes, of course, won’t be as high, but Panarin should get a pretty good indication of what the playoffs will be like for him when he and the Blueshirts face the Islanders at UBS Arena on Thursday.
The Islanders may be out of the tournament, but there is no team in the league that plays more of a playoff style and there is no team in the league to whom it is more important to beat the Rangers.
Time and space are quite often figments of the imagination in these battles of New York.
“Players can play closer to me in the playoffs but that happens every year in the regular season, too,” said Panarin, who has been kept off the sheet in three games against the Islanders. “When I came to Chicago, nobody followed me on the ice so I had lots of space but the next year, people were closer and then in Columbus, people were closer and then in New York, more so.
“You have to switch your game every year, think of something new, watch the highlights of other guys to see how they play and maybe there’s something you can see. You have to change your game every time.”
The left winger said he has adjusted his game as the season has evolved. Panarin was piling up points regardless, but his game has soared since just before the March 21 trade deadline, with 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in the last 19 games dating back to March 12.
This is the electrifying athlete who lit up Broadway during his first season here in 2019-20. This is the player who lifts fans out of their seats. This is the player whose 70 assists is two off the franchise record for forwards that is shared by two of the most glittering names in the book. That would be Mark Messier (1991-92) and Wayne Gretzky (1996-97).
“What happened this year I just skated in my space on the left side all the time and guys stayed with me. I didn’t have the puck much, which I hate,” said the unabashedly candid winger, who basically circled the globe with the puck on his stick before setting up Adam Fox for Tuesday’s 2-0 goal against Winnipeg. “I just had to change something.
“I think I have to be everywhere. It’s harder for players who play against us. I think I have to be more close to the puck. I know that, but it’s hard to switch something when things are going right and the team is doing well and then you think, ‘That’s OK, if it’s working why do I [have to change] and I just make a good pass.
“But I’m a player who likes to play looking-good hockey. It’s good for the fans and it’s good for me. That’s energy and that’s why we’re here, not for the money, right?”
The addition of Andrew Copp to the bread-and-butter duo of Panarin and Ryan Strome has solidified the unit that had run through 10 different right wingers since Jesper Fast fled to Carolina as a free agent following 2019-20. The Panarin-Strome-Copp unit has been intact for 10 games, and when Strome was sidelined for four contests, Cobb played the middle with Panarin on his left. The combo has been on the ice for seven goals for and two goals against.
“For sure [it helps]. If you play every game with one partner you can understand each other better,” Panarin said. “And especially with Copp, You can see his level, he reads the game very well and I think we have good chemistry now. We’re really happy to have him on our line.
“He can do everything. He has skill. He can play in the D-zone. He can pass…which I like it.”
The Rangers have won three in a row, all shutouts. They are tied for first place with Carolina with five games remaining that includes next Tuesday’s Garden showdown with the ‘Canes. If the Blueshirts run the table, they are guaranteed to take the Metro Division title.
That would represent a feather in the organization’s collective cap, but the focus remains on preparation for the playoffs. To that end, Panarin was asked whether he might take a night off before the season ends.
“I don’t think about that,” he said. “I am a wolf.”
