Panarin forcing Kane connection
BOSTON — Artemi Panarin and Patrick Kane look like two players who haven’t played alongside one another in six years.
That’s because, well, they haven’t. It hardly matters that the Rangers’ two dynamic wings have history skating on a line together — even if they made up one of the most special duos the NHL has ever seen. They’ve both evolved since the last time they were teammates, in Chicago from 2015-17.
With the Rangers, Panarin and Kane have had just two games — abd no practices — to get used to one another.
“They’re trying to force the play into the middle of the ice too much and there are too many turnovers,” head coach Gerard Gallant said of Panarin and Kane after the Rangers’ 4-2 loss to the Bruins on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. “There’s chemistry there, but they’ve got to make sure we’re making strong plays. There are too many times we’re trying for that long pass, east-west in the offensive zone. They know our players, too. They’re going to pick that off and then they’re going the other way.
“They’ll get it together, but it wasn’t good. There were too many turnovers, not only by them, but by a lot of guys.”
The anticipation of seeing Panarin and Kane skate together again has set the two up for early disappointment. Panarin, who was a turnover machine on Saturday, is seemingly deferring to Kane instead of looking for the right play. On the other hand, Kane is simply getting his feet wet.
It’s a similar situation for the Rangers’ power play.
“It needs a lot of time to jell,” Gallant said of the Rangers’ power play. “A couple guys in different positions and different setups, so we’ll work with it.”
➤ With Ryan Lindgren still nursing an upper-body injury, K’Andre Miller serving the final game of his three-game suspension and Tyler Motte out with a presumed head injury, the Rangers skated two men short Saturday against the Bruins.
Miller, who was suspended for the spitting match penalty he earned against the Kings, will be able to rejoin the Rangers’ lineup on Thursday in Montreal. The Rangers should also be granted an emergency recall ahead of that matchup against the Canadiens, but only a player who carries a cap hit of under $850,000.