The record was so close! Panarin was left without a goal due to the goalkeeper’s helmet falling

The record was so close! Panarin was left without a goal due to the goalkeeper’s helmet falling

Elena Kuznetsova December 23, 2023, 10:30 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.

Khlebushka’s winning streak in home games since the start of the season was interrupted in game 14.

Artemi Panarin came so close to an incredible Rangers record that no one has matched in 40 years. In the 1983/1984 season, Blueshirts forward Mike Rogers scored points in the first 15 home games of the regular season, and the Russian had every chance to repeat this fantastic streak.

After a failed game in the last playoffs, Artemy reviewed many things, even changed his hairstyle and went out to cry and pitch for the new season, as befits a superstar of one of the most legendary and popular clubs in the NHL.

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At the start of the season, he had a 15-game scoring streak, breaking the record among Russian players, which previously belonged to Dmitry Kvartalnov (1992/1993 season, Boston), as well as the Rangers record, which previously belonged to Rod . Gilbert (1972 season)./1973).

“He’s just a pest. I was impressed with his game last year, but this year he reached a new level. Breaking a record like that for a club that has been around for so long is something special. He is a special player for us who makes a difference,” Panarin’s teammate Jimmy Vesey said at the time.

In the 16th game of the season this streak ended, but Panarin did not remain silent for long and soon continued another scoring streak in home games. November ended, December was coming to an end, the record was already very close, but in the 14th home game of the season, Artemy was left without points for the first time at Madison Square Garden.

Midway through the first period of today’s game against Edmonton, Blake Wheeler put the Rangers ahead on a low pass from Mika Zibanejad; The American’s reaction after the goal showed that even he was surprised by such a skillful pass. “He is a special player, I was very lucky to play on a line with a guy like that. It was an unbelievable pass,” Wheeler said after the game.

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Early in the second period, Panarin hit the Oilers’ goal on a power play, but the referee immediately put his hands up. A couple of seconds earlier, Zibanejad knocked off the rubber on Stuart Skinner’s helmet with a pitch. He shook his head, took off his helmet, and the referees decided to stop the game. They watched the replay, but did not change their decision: the goal was not counted. “It seems logical to me, he was standing very close. It was an incredibly hard throw, Mika took it well and Skinner’s helmet came off. Obviously the player needs protection,” Chris Kreider did not argue.

If the Rangers had realized this majority, perhaps the game would have gone according to a different scenario. But they did not score again until the end of the game and tried to maintain a minimal advantage. They achieved it for two periods, mainly thanks to the incomparable play of Jonathan Quick, who at 37 years old is experiencing a professional renaissance and has only lost one game in 10 to date, and that too outside of regulation time.

“We lacked energy throughout the game. We created little in the second half and continued playing the same way in the third. Quick made incredible saves in the second half and masked our performance a bit, but we lacked spark throughout the game,” said coach Peter Laviolette.

“It was only thanks to him that we stayed in the game at the start of the third period. If you look at the full 60 minutes, that’s not how we want to play. Quickie has been outstanding all year and he played a great game today, but the outfielders should have done more,” captain Jacob Trouba said.

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Quick contained the opponent’s offensive impulses for 40 minutes, but in the third period Edmonton still took the keys to its goal and scored four goals in seven minutes, which decided the result of the match. The Rangers had a fiery finish and managed to come back two goals, but there was not enough time to tie the score.

The Rangers lost 3:4 and Panarin’s streak ended in the 14th home game of the season. Well, you won’t break all the records yet and the main games are still ahead. Now the Rangers can afford a mediocre game as they continue to lead the Eastern Conference.