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Artemi Panarin ‘driving offense’ for Rangers on way to 900th NHL point
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- Artemi Panarin ‘driving offense’ for Rangers on way to 900th NHL point
James Guillory-Imagn Images
Artemi Panarin moved into some pretty heady when he scored into an empty net to wrap up the New York Rangers ' 4-2 win against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday night.
The "Breadman," who had an assist on Mika Zibanejad's first-period goal, got his 900th NHL point by scoring into the vacated cage after the Senators pulled goalie Leevi Merilainen for an extra attacker. He became the sixth undrafted NHL player since 1963-64 to reach 900 career points in 800 games or fewer, joining Wayne Gretzky (385 games), Peter Stastny (599 games), Bobby Orr (638 games), Phil Esposito (692 games) and Adam Oates (735 games). Each of those players is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
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Panarin reached 900 points (311 goals, 589 assists) in career game No. 781.
"It means a lot," the best free-agent signing in Rangers history said of the milestone. "It also means I've had a long time in this League."
Panarin has 580 of those points (195 goals, 386 assists) in 459 games since signing with the Rangers on July 1, 2019. His average of 1.26 points per game is best in franchise history. His 120-point performance in 2023-24 represents the second-highest single-season total in Rangers history, trailing only Jaromir Jagr 's 123 points in 2005-06.
Ironically, Panarin wasn't aware that the empty-netter was his 900th NHL point. When the Rangers bench asked for the puck after his milestone goal, he wondered why because he had no idea.
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"Happy to get that, but glad we win tonight," Panarin said. "Especially in a winning game, I have that number. So nice. But, to be honest, I [didn't] know."
Rangers coach Mike Sullivan, who spent the previous six seasons with the Pittsburgh Penguins trying to find ways to shut down Panarin, wasn't aware of the milestone either.
"I didn't realize that he got 900 points tonight," Sullivan said during his postgame press conference. "I was just informed after the game.
"It doesn't surprise me. He's a unique talent and he drives offense in so many different ways. He just has an ability to see the ice and see plays develop; he's one step ahead of everybody on the rink. And that's the game that he's played for so long."
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Artemi Panarin on roll for Rangers
Panarin now has 30 points (nine goals, 21 assists) in 29 games this season – including 23 (six goals, 17 assists) since he shaved his head in early November following a career-long six-game pointless streak. He's excelled during the past 10 days , scoring three goals and assisting on seven others to help the Rangers win five of six games and improve their record to 15-12-2.
The two-point night in Ottawa was his eighth multiple-point game this season and fourth in the past five games.
"I think he's done a great job over the last little while just driving offense for our team, whether it's 5-on-5 or on the power play," Sullivan said. "He has scoring ability himself, but his playmaking ability is really something that might fly under the radar. I've certainly gained much more of an appreciation for it watching him up close."
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The 34-year-old left wing's increased production isn't hurting his hopes of a big payday this summer, either.
Panarin is in the final season of the seven-year contract that he signed on July 1, 2019, and can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. The Rangers want to keep him beyond this season, but not for the $11.642 million average annual value of his current deal.
However, Panarin reportedly doesn't want to take a pay cut. With his scoring touch returning and most of the big-name potential free agents off the board after signing new deals, Panarin is helping himself at the bargaining table, while helping the Rangers on the ice.
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