Recap: Rangers Fall Short in Panarin's MSG Return, Lose 4-1 to Los Angeles

Riding their longest win streak since October of 2024, the New York Rangers took on the Los Angeles Kings in Artemi Panarin’s return to Madison Square Garden. The Kings came into this one hungry for a win as they were just two points out of a playoff spot. On the Rangers side of things, they looked to keep their streak going as they'd face-off against a familiar face for the first time since the big trade.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, right?

Speaking of things staying the same, the Rangers wouldn't make any changes to their lineup as Jusso Parssinen, Jonny Brodzinski and Vincent Iorio remained the odd men out.

First Period

The Kings had an early chance to get on the board as their first shot on goal came on an Anze Kopitar—who was playing in his last game at MSG as he’s planning to retire after this season—partial breakaway that Igor Shesterkin was able to turn away. The Rangers had a flurry of chances about five minutes in as the top line threw a couple of pucks Darcy Kuemper’s way, the second of which required a diving save. Closer to the midway mark of the first, the Rangers were awarded the game’s first power play as Quinton Byfield tripped up Alexis Lafrenière in Rangers end of the ice. 

The penalty doubled as just the second play stoppage in the opening half of the period. During the TV-timeout, the Rangers paid tribute to Artemi Panarin, welcoming him back to MSG. 

The Rangers struggled to maintain and generate possession on the man advantage which resulted in the two minutes coming and going without finding the back of the net. It didn’t help that Darcy Kuemper was by all accounts off to a great start as he came up with a big save on a Gabe Perreault one timer not long after the teams returned to even strength. 

With six and a half minutes to go, the Rangers were caught with a tired group out there as they iced the puck twice in a row. A shot from Drew Doughty at the point went through a ton of traffic to find the back of the net, putting the Kings up 1-0. 

That would stand as the lone decision maker of the period as the Kings took the one goal lead into the first intermission. Shots after twenty minutes were 8-6 in LA’s favor but the Rangers had the decisive edge in the face-off circle, winning eight of twelve draws throughout the period. 

Second Period

The Kings were off to the better start in the second as they were keeping Shesterkin busy with a number of chances. About four minutes in, the Rangers were called for a delayed penalty as Adam Edstrom was going to head to the box for an infraction. Alas, as play went the other way, Alex Laferriere threw a puck on net and Mikey Anderson was right there to cash in on the rebound, making it a 2-0 game. Making matters worse, the Rangers still ended up on the penalty kill as Vincent Trocheck could Byfield with a high stick on the following shift. 

It only took the Kings 11 seconds on the power play to find the back of the net as Laferriere fed Byfield a pass at the door step that created a chance for Kopitar in the slot. Laferriere was right there to bat in the rebound, which gave the Kings a three goal advantage early in the second. 

The Rangers were struggling to generate offense as they only had eight shots on goal nearing the midway mark of the outing. It was around that time Matthew Robertson was called for a rather weak hooking penalty in the neutral zone that sent the Kings power play unit back to the ice. The Rangers came out of it unscathed this time around as they got some help from Shesterkin who made a pair of big saves, keeping LA from adding to their already significant lead.

As the period went on, the Rangers were spending a little more time in the offensive zone but still had just three shots on goal through nearly twenty minutes. The Kings lead the count 23-9 as they carried their 3-0 lead into the second intermission. However, they had to do a quick redo as the horn sounded.

Third Period

The Rangers got an early power play to kick off the third as Laferriere was sent off for boarding Matthew Robertson. A pretty nasty hit that gave the Rangers a chance at 6-on-5 prior to the official man advantage. The Rangers would have success this time around as a shot from Adam Fox at the point took a redirect off the stick of Trocheck to spoil Kuemper's shut out. 3-1 game.

This gave the Rangers a little bit of life as the Kings were now caught on the ice for an extended shift, icing the puck four times in a three minutes stretch. Nearing the midway point of the third, the Rangers were out-shooting the Kings 8-0, completely keeping them out of the offensive zone.

The problem was, the Rangers just weren't finding those high danger chances. They were playing quicker and spending more time in LA's end of the ice, but it didn't feel as though they were posing much of a threat in terms of getting back into this game. The closest they came to making it a one goal game was near the seven minute mark as Perreault ripped a shot off the post.

With two and a half to go, the Rangers pulled Shesterkin for the extra attacker but less than a minute later, Trevor Moore would seal the deal with the empty net goal to make it a 4-1 game. A tough break for the Rangers who just couldn't seem to find their rhythm all night. Final shots on goal tally was 26-22 in LA's favor.

The Rangers will be back at it in the front half of a back to back Wednesday Night as they are set to host the New Jersey Devils in the season finale of the Hudson River Rivalry.