Artemi Panarin was the star of the show as his hat trick propelled the New York Rangers to an impressive 6-3 win against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.
Panarin recorded his third career hat trick as the New York Rangers bounced back from a tough loss to the LA Kings earlier in the week.
It wasn’t easy, though, as the San Jose Sharks twice held a lead as they tried to muster a response under new Interim Head Coach Bob Boughner.
Tomas Hertl potted a shorthanded goal midway through the first period as the Blueshirts’ power play failed to strike, but Jesper Fast and Artemi Panarin struck in quick succession to make it a tied game in the second period.
The momentum of the contest shifted again, however, as Logan Couture and Brendan Dillon put the Sharks back in the driving seat.
However, that’s when the Panarin show took over as the Russian stud claimed a secondary helper on Mika Zibanejad‘s eighth goal of the year before going on to score twice to complete his hat trick.
Panarin’s heroics also secured a big win for the Rangers who have now collected four points from a possible eight on this road trip so far, with another two up for grabs on Saturday.
It was another game that illustrated the story of the New York Rangers’ 2019-20 regular season so far, as they continue to lurch from one end of the spectrum to the other.
Let’s delve into some takeaways from an entertaining match-up at SAP Center…