Artemi Panarin cleared the air about his lower-body injury. Panarin returned for the New York Rangers’ Monday practice after being absent for a couple of days. The 33-year-old superstar clarified that he got injured during warmups prior to last week’s preseason game as he only played a couple of shifts before exiting the contest. “I just hit it again during warmups honestly,” Panarin said. “I tried in the first period but I couldn't. I just took a couple of days off.” It’s a positive sign that Panarin clarified that he’s currently feeling good and has no concerns that he’ll miss New York’s season opener on Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sean Avery Illustrates Rangers Perfect Shift Panarin also said that while he feels better, he’ll continue to do some treatment on his lower-body injury. Meanwhile, Rangers coach Peter Laviolette didn’t really confirm or deny if Panarin will be available for the season opener. “We are still a couple days out on that,” Laviolette said. “What you saw is exactly what happened. He made it through practice today without any issues and that’s a positive.” With Panarin basically confirming he’s good to go, it seems like a formality that we’ll see Panarin play in the season opener.
