Artemi Panarin made the most of his return to Broadway on Monday night, recording an assist in a 4-1 Los Angeles Kings victory over the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
It was a critical win for a Kings team battling for its postseason lives — and the Russian star joked afterwards that he wished he could have some reinforcements from his old club.
“I'm going to miss them,” Panarin, who spent nearly seven seasons in New York, told reporters, including The New York Post's Mollie Walker. “I hope they trade to LA all of them.”
Panarin has always taken a lighthearted approach to the game, which is what made him a fan favorite with the Rangers. That, and his incredible play on the ice since signing a megadeal to join the storied franchise in July of 2019.
The 34-year-old led the team in scoring in each of his six seasons, finishing his Rangers career ninth in points and eighth in assists on the organization's all-time list.
“To be honest, I was nervous the whole game,” Panarin continued. “I'm glad guys scored the goals tonight, and then got a good win so it was nice. I was not much thinking about hockey tonight.”
He had no desire to leave New York, but after general manager Chris Drury waved the white flag on the season in the form of a retool letter — and with Panarin in the final season of his contract — it made sense to move on.
Still, he was a key piece of this Rangers roster for over half a decade, helping them advance to two Eastern Conference Finals in 2022 and 2024.
With the return game in the rearview, the veteran star will now turn his focus to the stretch run. Los Angeles is 28-24-15, fourth in the Pacific Division and tied for the second wildcard berth in the Western Conference with the Seattle Kraken, who have a game in hand.
The tilt at MSG was the finale of a five-game road trip, and the Kings will now return home to host the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday and Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
