MONDAY
Flyers 5
Rangers 4
FINAL
Keith Kincaid Targets Panarin, But Throws a Pick-Six in Overtime Loss to Flyers
The Blueshirts played nine games minus the services of Artemi Panarin. They achieved a pair of victories each against the Buffalo Sabres and New Jersey Devils, respectively, two beleaguered squads flapping and floundering about like a fish out of water. The other five games include one loss against the Philidelphia Flyers, two losses against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and two against the Boston Bruins.
Despite the disparity of talent levels between clubs, some might describe what the Rangers achieved as hanging tough until their breadwinner returned to the ice. Insofar as wins and losses, they did just that. But I'm just not buying it. It's been said many times: to be the best, you gotta beat the best, and that's not what happened. The sixth team in the division beat up on the seventh and eighth place teams in the standings, that's it.
A stiff jab at 3:47 by James van Riemsdyk followed up with a straight right by Ivan Provorov at 5:05, and the Rangers were down 2-0 in the first period.
Enter Artemi Panarin, who started slicing up a freshly baked loaf of points. He finally put the Rangers on the board at 8:12 of the second, then over the next six minutes, assisted on goals from Colin Blackwell and Julien Gauthier for a 3-2 Rangers lead. However, at 18:27, Gauthier got whistled for high-sticking. Just nine seconds into the power play, Joel Farabee stuck it to the Rangers by tying the game at three.
- Since returning from his Russian sabbatical, the Breadman has baked four points in two games; three came Monday against the Flyers.
Kevin Rooney scored an uplifting goal at 2:56 into the third. But Julien Gauthier got whistled at 4:53 for another very costly high-sticking infraction. A mere ten seconds later, Claude Giroux once again made the Rangers pay for the errs of their ways.
Into over time, they go ...
Keith Kincaid - forced to fill in while Igor Shesterkin remains out with an injury - messed up. His pass from the goal line to a waiting Panarin at the Rangers blueline was simply too soft, too free and easy, and completely lacking urgency. As you can imagine, it was picked off by Jakub Voracek, who to took it to the house unassisted.
It's the equivalent to a quarterback throwing a game-losing pick-six in football.
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