New York Rangers left winger Artemi Panarin has had quite the special 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs to this point. Not only are the Rangers looking dominant in the postseason, but he has played a major role in their success.
On Thursday night, the New York Rangers were able to take a commanding 3-0 lead in their second round matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes. They won 3-2 in overtime, which was their second victory in extra time of what has been a very competitive series.
All three games have been decided by one goal, as New York is just executing a little bit better in crunch time. One of the players who have been executing late in games for the team has been Panarin.
He was the player who scored the overtime winner in Game 3, which led to him tying some impressive Stanley Cup Playoffs history. According to OptaSTATS on X, Artemi Panarin is the second player ever to have the first four goals he scores during a single postseason all be game-winning goals.
The first player to accomplish that feat was Clark Gillies of the New York Islanders in 1977. Panarin has scored the game-winning goal in Games 1 and 3 against the Hurricanes and in Games 1 and 4 against the Washington Capitals in Round 1.
Artemi Panarin of the @NYRangers is the second player in NHL history to have his first 4 goals of a single postseason all be game-winning goals.
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) May 10, 2024
The other was the Islanders' Clark Gillies in 1977. pic.twitter.com/FeEZtmFM7C
When the New York Rangers need a clutch performance, it has been Artemi Panarin stepping up regularly in the postseason. He has played a major part in the team being 7-0 to this point, as he is producing at an impressive clip.
In those seven games, Panarin has recorded four goals and five assists and has recorded a plus/minus of +2. This is a major improvement from the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs when he recorded only two points and was -2 on the ice.
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