Artemi Panarin’s hat trick lifts Rangers past NHL-best Bruins
NY Post
BOSTON — This represented a tour de force for the Rangers, who not only refuse to go away but reinserted themselves smack dab in the middle of the multiple-team donnybrook for the Presidents’ Trophy with Thursday’s 5-2 dominating and stifling victory here over the first-overall Bruins.
The margin between the Blueshirts and the B’s has been narrowed again to one point in the wake of this one in which the visitors claimed an astonishing 27-7 edge in scoring chances over the final two periods in which Artemi Panarin elevated his goal total to 41 off a hat trick including the second of two New York empty-netters.
The Rangers, soldiering on without Jacob Trouba and Ryan Lindgren, gave essentially nothing away.
The few times they did, Jonathan Quick barred the door in a 24-save performance for the 391st victory of his career that tied Ryan Miller as the winningest U.S.-born goaltender in NHL history.
“We talked about the magnitude of this game and I thought we played well,” said Mika Zibanejad, whose club maintained a two-point division lead over Carolina. “I liked our decision-making, how structured we were and the way we battled.”
This was a primer for the playoffs.
PHOENIX — Wednesday brought some cautiously optimistic updates for the Knicks frontcourt.
The Greatest Escape in franchise history was perpetrated by Glen Sather, when the general manager extricated himself and the Rangers from the final five years of Scott Gomez’s contract by moving the $7,357,143-per-year center to Montreal on June 30, 2009 after two years in New York.
The Yankees publicly are on the same page: Hal Steinbrenner, like Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone before him, said that issues with the club’s fundamentals did not hover over the team all season.
The first day of the rest of Daniel Jones’ dwindling time with the Giants arrived Wednesday, with Jones in the building, in the meetings, on the practice field (although not doing very much) and not at all part of the game plan for the next game, relegated to a non-participant role for the remainder of the season.
There will be a little extra magic for Knicks-Spurs on Christmas Day.
The quickest way for the Giants to climb out of quarterback hell is also the quickest way to extend their stay there for at least three more years.
The Lakers’ decision to keep Bronny James away from G League road games has sparked some debate about the level of preferential treatment the franchise is giving to LeBron’s son.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The Rangers continue to flex their strength on the road this season.
One of Tom Thibodeau’s stated points of emphasis for the Knicks this season — to increase their volume of 3-point attempts to take advantage of their proficiency from the outside — is starting to come to fruition.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — It’s the best-case scenario for Filip Chytil and the Rangers.