When the Rangers hired Peter Laviolette as their new coach, one of the key star players, the focus centered around Artemi Panarin. At times, the East/West style of the Russian star can get in the way of team success. However, his start to the season has been very positive.

In Saturday night’s 4-1 win over the Kraken, Panarin was easily the game’s best player. The Bread Man was so good that Laviolette double shifted him for most of the night. He rewarded Laviolette by scoring twice and controlling offensive shifts in the Kraken zone. They had no answer for him.

Even better, Panarin’s aggressive mindset made line mates Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere better players. It could be argued that both Chytil and Lafreniere played the best games of their careers. Chytil recorded a career high three assists while Lafreniere scored his second goal and helped set up another. Each played with a combination of speed and tenacity. Precisely what Laviolette wants to see.

Following a Kraken goal by Justin Schultz, it was the relentless pressure of the second line that led to Panarin scoring the tying goal. A strong forecheck from Lafreniere forced a turnover. That allowed Chytil to find an open Panarin in the slot for a wrist shot that beat Seattle goalie Philipp Grubauer high glove to the short side. There was no hesitation.

In five games, Panarin has three goals and four assists for a team-leading seven points. Unlike last season, he’s been more involved on the forecheck. Laviolette emphasizes his players to apply puck pressure in the offensive zone. The 31-year-old has been looking to force turnovers. On another shift, he got in and made a backhand feed to set up a scoring chance. He was dangerous throughout the game.

Bread Limiting Mistakes

So far, Panarin isn’t making the same mistakes he had under former coach Gerard Gallant. He’s not making as many high-risk plays with the puck. There hasn’t been much circling around the zone up top to try to make the perfect play. Instead of forcing the action with a pass in the middle of the ice, he’s played a more straightforward game. It’s been more North/South.

That’s included rushes up the ice in transition. A perfect example of that was Panarin’s second goal he scored to pad the Rangers’ lead to 4-1 in the third period. On a great rush from K’Andre Miller into the Kraken zone, the defenseman got the puck over to Chytil. He quickly made a hard pass to a cutting Panarin in the slot. Able to knock the puck down between defenders, he then, in one motion, fired a one-timer that beat Grubauer for a beautiful goal.

Thinking shot first is something new for Panarin. He’s a great playmaker who’s superb at finding the open man with the puck, However, he’s made the necessary adjustment under Laviolette. Panarin had five shots-on-goal in the win, tying him with Chytil for the most. It might be a small sample size. But it’s Panarin who leads the Rangers with 21 shots thus far. That’s seven more than Mika Zibanejad and eight better than leading finisher Chris Kreider. A big difference. If he’s shooting the puck more, that makes him more dangerous.

Chytil and Lafreniere Combine For a Nice Goal

On a strong play that started with some hustle from Lafreniere behind the Seattle net, he and Chytil combined on a nice goal late in the second period.

With the Rangers ahead by one, thanks to Kaapo Kakko netting his first goal of the season on a rebound of a Jacob Trouba shot, Lafreniere was able to work a give and go with Chytil that led to him finishing off a nice backhand feed in front. Chytil made the perfect return pass so Lafreniere could quickly one-time it for his second. It was his first goal since last week’s season opening win over the Sabres on Oct. 12.

Keyword Search: Lafreniere Gets Ideal Start In The First Win

Kakko gets 100th Career Point

At a critical point of the contest, the Rangers finally got some offensive production from Kaapo Kakko. Following a bad game on Thursday, he turned in a better one at Seattle.

After nearly connecting with Chytil on a power play, Kakko scored his first of the season to put the Rangers ahead 2-1 with 6:58 left in the second period. On a big face-off win by Zibanejad, he got the puck back to Miller. He then moved it across for a Trouba shot that Grubauer got a piece of. After the puck hit the goalpost, Kakko was there to put home the easy rebound.

The goal gave him his 100th career point. It was important for Kakko to get the goal. Previously, he’d blown a few scoring chances. Hopefully, it can give him a confidence boost. Laviolette hasn’t gone away from playing Kakko on the first line with Zibanejad and Kreider. He’s remained patient. That could benefit Kakko. Finding chemistry is a key to success.

Miller Responds with His Best Game

Entering play, K’Andre Miller was coming off a tough game in the loss to the Predators. He was responsible for one of the goals. A forced pass to Erik Gustafsson resulted in a turnover that led to Cole Smith scoring on a breakaway.

In the win at Seattle, Miller responded with his best game. It started early. He made several key defensive plays to get the Rangers out of trouble. That included a nice recovery to break up a Kraken chance in transition. He and defense partner Jacob Trouba were outstanding. Their work during a Kraken five-on-three for 18 seconds was crucial during the second period. The successful penalty kill kept the game tied.

Miller was involved offensively. On the Kakko game-winner, it was his pass to Trouba that set up the goal. That was the first of two assists. The second came in transition during the third period when he gained entry to find Chytil, who then set up Panarin for his second of the game. The strong skating of Miller up the ice is what led to the key insurance marker. He’s very good at getting the puck and going. It’s an area that he excels at.

A Good Start for Quick

Although he came on in relief of Igor Shesterkin on Oct. 18, Jonathan Quick hadn’t started a game until Saturday night against the Kraken. After allowing a goal to Schultz on a one-timer from a sharp angle, the 37-year-old veteran was solid in the net for the Rangers.

Quick only had to make 18 saves. However, he made it look easy. That included an aggressive glove save where he challenged well enough to take away the angle. After only seeing two shots in a dominant second, he made a couple of sparklers in the third period. He got across to rob Jaden Schwartz with a nice glove save.

Coming into the season, there were questions about how he’d play. However, Quick put the preseason behind him. So far, he’s stopped 28 of 29 shots for a .970 save percentage in two appearances. With four more games on the road trip, including stops in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver, there’s a good chance that he’ll get another game. His first start certainly helped.

Fox and Kreider Defend Chytil

After Chytil played the puck in front of the Rangers bench, Kraken captain Yanni Gourde delivered a hit on him. It was shoulder to chest with Chytil leaning forward. Although it wasn’t bad, both Adam Fox and Kreider were quick to jump in.

After Fox delivered a cross-check to Gourde, Kreider also cross-checked the feisty Kraken center, knocking him down. The two exchanged words during a scrum that involved several players. Eventually, things cooled down.

When the dust settled, Kreider received two minutes for cross-checking and two for roughing. Gourde got four minutes for roughing and a misconduct.

Trocheck Gets the Decision

Earlier in the third period, Vincent Trocheck caught Kraken defenseman Brian Dumoulin with a check into the boards. He was slow to get up. Not surprisingly, Trocheck was held accountable later.

With the game nearly out of reach, Jared McCann challenged Trocheck at center ice with less than 10 minutes left. Trocheck landed some good lefts to get the decision on McCann. It was entertaining.

A Good Start to The Road Trip

If there’s a takeaway from the win over the Kraken, it was that the Rangers played a complete game to improve to 3-2-0. They corrected a lot of mistakes from Thursday’s loss at home. There weren’t many unforced turnovers that led to chances against.

They carried most of the play with a consistent forecheck that forced the Kraken to defend. The results were positive. So, too, was how they defended. The Rangers played as a unit, making it tough on Seattle. There was a lot of one and done. That made it easier on Quick to earn his first win as a Ranger.

The road trip continues Tuesday night when they visit Calgary. It will start at approximately 9:45 EST. The Rangers will then have a day between visiting Edmonton on Oct. 26. They’ll then be at Vancouver next Saturday, Oct. 28. The final game will be at Winnipeg on All Hallows Eve. By then, we’ll have a better idea about the team.

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