Jonny Lazarus and Matthew Mugno share their postgame thoughts from the Rangers big win on Sunday night.
Jonny Lazarus: Well, what can't Artemi Panarin do? His motor is so different this season. It's not like he got stronger or faster in the offseason, his focus and attention to detail has just been way more engaged. He's making a real case for himself to be a Hart Trophy candidate.
Matthew Mugno: It was the club's 3,000th victory. It was 97 years and 17 days after their first victory on November 16th, 1926. It wasn't pretty at all but they got the job done. Panarin drove to the net for two of the team's six goals, scoring his 3rd hat-trick as a Ranger. They now have 18 victories on the season.
JL: The shift that led up to K'Andre Miller's goal really impressed me. The Rangers had been pinned in their own end for about a minute and a half to two minutes. Alexis Lafreniere was the only fresh skater on the ice, he was aware of that and took matters into his own hands. Just watch what happens on the rest of this shift. Five guys working together, chipping in to score what was the eventual game-winning goal.
MM: The Rangers are now 14-0 when K'Andre Miller scores a goal (regular season/post-season).
JL: It's great to see a guy like Jonny Brodzinski have success in a big spot. It hasn't been easy for him in his NHL career, but he seems like such a salt of the earth kind of guy. In speaking with him last night, you can sense how grateful he is to be playing for Peter Laviolette. He adds speed and simplicity to the top line and that's what is so great about his game. He is interchangeable throughout the entire lineup.
MM: The thrill of life is in the unforeseen surprises. Brodzinski's immediate impact is a small sample of what 93 and 20 needed on their line. Wouldn't that be something?
JL: What's beautiful about this Rangers group is that it's someone different stepping up every night. Yes, you can look at last night's game and say they don't win without Panarin, but you still need that extra goal from a guy like Will Cuylle. Cuylle's been a guy to score a couple of big goals and as of late we've seen big contributions from guys like Jimmy Vesey and Ryan Lindgren.
MM: "The Big C." Confidence. Trust. These have all contributed to Alexis Lafreniere blossoming this season. He had an assist yesterday and another 6 SOG game. He also came close to converting on a penalty shot. the first of his NHL career.
JL: Last night wasn't Jonathan Quick's best game, but in his defense, that wasn't the most focused effort I've seen the Rangers give this season. I'd say most of those goals weren't really his fault.
MM: Anthony Duclair looked like Deebo Samuel against the Eagles as he got up ice and deked a helpless Quick into the third row. He registered an assist later by driving play with tremendous speed to cut the lead 6-4. If that wasn't enough to convince the Rangers brass that "The Duke" would be a welcome addition at the trade deadline, I'm not sure what would.