Artemi Panarin, Rangers’ second line keeps surging behind ‘good chemistry’

Artemi Panarin is coming off another hat trick, Alexis Lafreniere has points in three straight games and Vincent Trocheck had four points in a game for just the third time in his career, as the Rangers’ second line shows no signs of slowing down entering Tuesday’s game against Carolina at Madison Square Garden.

Trocheck said there was no magic formula why the unit has been so productive of late, but said it likely has something to do with Peter Laviolette letting the line play together as much as it has. “Sometimes it’s just instinct,” Trocheck said of what could get a line going. “We’ve got good chemistry with each other right now.

Having the amount of time together that we’ve had this year to build chemistry and know each other’s tendencies has been good.” And the results have followed, as the Rangers were the first team to get to 50 points in the league this season for the first time since their last Stanley Cup title in 1994.

And as much as Mika Zibanejad’s scoring prowess has helped, the second line has been excellent of late, with Panarin leading the way. Panarin enters Tuesday’s game averaging career highs in almost every offensive category, from points per game (1.43) to goals per game (0.66), as well as shots per game (4.14).

It’s that last category that’s been particularly notable this season, since Panarin’s previous high for shots on goal is 3.03, set in 2019 20, and his career average is 2.78. Laviolette said Panarin’s increase in shots is due to the performance of the entire second line. “I think they’ve done a really good job of playing well with each other,” Laviolette said.

The key for Panarin on offense, according to Laviolette, isn’t just about getting more shots. It’s also getting better ones. Sign up for Larry Brooks' Inside the Rangers, a weekly Sports+ exclusive. Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy .

Thank you Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! “He needs to move into spaces, but the other pieces are moving as well and that creates scoring opportunities,” Laviolette said. “We stress putting pucks at the net, but we do a lot of things to get the puck moving. We still want pucks and volume at the net.” The results have followed, especially for Panarin.

“It’s nice he’s shooting more and getting rewarded for it,” Laviolette said. “A couple of the goals he scored the last game were shooters’ goals. Those weren’t something that came necessarily off of a pass. He had to create by moving and creating time and space and finding a lane.” Overall, the second line has scored five goals in the teams last three games and Panarin has 23 goals in 35 games — already just nine off his career high.

“Our team is going well and everyone has been contributing,” Jacob Trouba said. “But you need your best players to be your best players. And ours have done a pretty good job so far this year.” Their next test comes Tuesday, facing a Carolina team that has won three straight to move up to second in the Metropolitan Division and fourth in the East, where the Rangers remain in a battle with Boston for the top spot.

And if the second line keeps up its current pace, the Rangers should remain at or near the top of the NHL standings. Trocheck believes they can with an uncomplicated philosophy. “Not getting away from our game and continuing to play the right way,” Trocheck said. “Playing simple. We’re at our best when we don’t feed into other teams’ transition games.

We’re pretty confident in our offense. If we play the right way, we’ll get chances and be able to score.”.