Artemi Panarin was one of two injury casualties in the New York Rangers’ come-from-behind 6-4 preseason win against the New York Islanders at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. But coach Peter Laviolette says he’s hopeful the lower-body injury will heal in time for his star left wing to play at least one more preseason game.
Panarin left the game in the third period and did not return. Laviolette said Wednesday that Panarin is “just listed as day to day.” When asked if Panarin could see action in at least one more preseason game before the regular season begins Oct. 9 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena, he replied, “I hope so. I hope so.”
With opening night two weeks away, rest assured that while Laviolette would like to get Panarin some more action before the puck drops for real, he’s not going to risk a 120-point scorer in a game that doesn’t count.
Either way, Panarin should be back before defenseman Ryan Lindgren, who was also injured Wednesday. He’s out “at least a few weeks” with an upper-body injury sustained in a fight with Isles defenseman Scott Mayfield following a big hit by Mayfield on Rangers center Filip Chytil. Happily for the Rangers, Chytil returned after missing a few shifts, scored a third-period goal and took part in practice on Wednesday.
Reilly Smith could get chance on Rangers penalty kill
Laviolette said newcomer Reilly Smith, acquired in an offseason trade with the Penguins, will likely get a chance to fill the longstanding hole on right wing on the top line with Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. But with Barclay Goodrow claimed on waivers by the San Jose Sharks, Laviolette said Wednesday that Smith could get a chance to replace him on the penalty kill.
“He’s somebody who has done that in the past and somebody we’re looking at for that (role),” Laviolette said.
Smith averaged 45 seconds of PK time in 76 games with the Penguins last season after seeing 1:18 per game on the penalty kill with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022-23, when he also scored the Stanley Cup-winning goal.
Laviolette said the penalty kill got top billing over the power play at practice Wednesday.
“Oftentimes when we do the power play and penalty kill, we focus a little more on the power play than the penalty kill; the penalty kill is done sometimes more by video,” he explained. “We do work on it once in a while, but it seems like the power play gets the attention. Today we wanted to make sure we weren’t worried about the power play. Right now is just about the penalty kill. We have new players here, new defensemen, new forwards.
“We’re just trying to put a foundation down for the penalty kill. We’ve had some small meetings, but this was a little more extensive with video and on-ice practice and just things we might be looking to do off of face-offs, through the neutral zone, in coverage in the defensive zone. We spent time working on that.”
Rangers have plenty of hopefuls for fourth-line center role
Assuming that Chytil stays healthy, the Rangers’ first three centers are all but set in stone. The No. 4 role has plenty of applicants.
The Rangers signed Sam Carrick as a free agent in July. The 31-year-old has been a fourth-liner/penalty-killer for most of his NHL career, having never finished a season with more than 19 points. Jonny Brodzinski played a career-high 57 games for the Blueshirts in 2023-24, the fourth consecutive season he’s split time between the Rangers and the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack.
Laviolette played down any possible rivalry between the two and noted that Brodzinski’s positional versatility could give him an advantage.
“Jonny can play anywhere,” Laviolette said. “He can play left wing, center, right wing. To me, they’re both guys who’ve been in the NHL and played here. It’s just a matter of having 13 players so they’re repping in, subbing, so it doesn’t always have to be center for center. Jonny can go in and play on the left wing, he can play on the right wing, so we’re just kind of moving four guys through that line.”
He also praised two other hopefuls, Matt Rempe and Adam Edstrom.
Rempe played on the wing after his late-season recall in the spring, but he’s seen time at center in the minors and saw a few shifts in the middle last night, when he won three of five face-offs.
“Rempe played a little bit of center last year in the American (Hockey) League,” Laviolette said. “He’s not bad in the face-off circle. I believe he took some shifts last night where he popped in for a shift or two because we were down, but that was the plan anyway.”
As for Edstrom, a natural center who scored the game-winner against the Islanders after connecting twice in two rookie games against the Philadelphia Flyers, Laviolette said the sixth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft is turning some heads.
“I think we were expecting him, based on what he did last year (11 goals in 40 games at Hartford, two in 11 games with the Rangers), to come in and try to take steps forward,” he said. “He catches people’s eye with the way he’s playing.”
Jonathan Quick gives Rangers solid presence in crease, locker room
Milford, Connecticut, native Jonathan Quick revived his career with the Rangers last season after struggling throughout 2022-23 – so badly so that he sat and watched journeyman Adin Hill take the reins and backstop Vegas to the Stanley Cup. His 18-6-2 record was invaluable to the Rangers’ run to the Presidents’ Trophy, and at age 38 he’s the perfect backup to Igor Shesterkin.
Count Laviolette among Quick’s admirers.
“I think he’s a real supportive guy in the room,” he said. “He’s a terrific goaltender, but he’s a terrific human being as well. He’s been excellent since he’s been here.”
Quick is seven wins away from becoming the first U.S.-born goaltender with 400 NHL wins, and he’s likely headed for the Hockey Hall of Fame in the not-too-distant future. But though his career is winding down, his competitive juices are still flowing, according to Laviolette.
“He’s also a competitor — he wants to play,” the coach said. “You can tell by the way he practices that he wants to play, and when he’s been in there he’s done the job for us – so it’s nice to have a guy like that.”
Quick allowed two goals on 10 shots after replacing Shesterkin against the Islanders, and picked up the win.
