Rangers vs. Kings: The Tank Is Back On
One step forward, two steps back. The Rangers get caved in, Panarin adds fuel to the fire, and the tank odds quietly improve.
- I have said this before, including last night on the podcast (still going live Thursday; we just needed to record Monday night due to scheduling), but it's games like Monday night that remind you why you cannot ever bet on these New York Rangers.
- Eric and I also talked extensively about Artemi Panarin. I don't want to step on the toes of the show, but I will say I find it amusing that Panarin—a man who never said more than a couple of words to the media here, and even when he did they were essentially jokes—suddenly has so much to say about the Rangers.
- I don't lament him talking about the organization he spent seven years at in the leadup to this game, before the game, and after the game. But I do resent the "they didn't want me" mentality he's coming to the table with. Had Panarin signaled to Chris Drury this past summer he was willing to accept a two-year, $11 million AAV deal, he would be a New York Ranger right now—no questions ask. The reason he isn't a Ranger is because of himself and his uber-aggressive agent who burns bridges like they're cigarettes.
- I love Panarin, I loved watching him, and I am thankful for everything he has done for this team. But at this point ,everyone needs to move on.
- Back to the game ... Like the days of yore, before the four-game winning streak, the Rangers had 10 shots on net through 45 minutes. I believe they had eight through the first 40 minutes.
