The Rangers rebounded from a 6-3 loss to the Lightning by outscoring the Penguins 7-4 on Saturday afternoon at PPG Paints Arena.

There wasn’t much defense played. Facing a division rival that looks destined to miss the playoffs for a second consecutive year, the Rangers played the Pens’ game to get back in the win column.

After falling behind early on a Jon Ludvig (no relation to Beethoven), the Rangers quickly responded by scoring two straight goals over a 26-second span. Kaapo Kakko buried a Jimmy Vesey feed in front to tie the score.

On the next shift, Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox made some magic. They combined on a highlight reel goal that put the Rangers up 2-1. A Panarin pass down low for Fox resulted in the former Norris winner moving in and firing a backhand top shelf past Tristan Jarry.

Although the scoring was far from done, it was the goal of the game. Fox demonstrated his skill by using patience to fake out the Pens’ defense and finish off his 12th goal of the season. If he can score one more goal, it’ll be a new career high. Fox had a dozen goals last season.

Fox and Panarin weren’t done. They burned the Penguins by combining for three goals and four assists. It was a virtuoso performance by Panarin. For a fourth season, he eclipsed 90 points. He did it in style by recording a five-point game. That included adding to a personal best with his 37th and 38th goals.

Fox helped set up a Panarin power-play goal with less than four minutes left in the second period that gave the Rangers the lead for good. On the play, Chris Kreider dug out a loose puck that allowed Panarin to steer in the rebound to make it 4-3.

Following a Kris Letang unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty, Panarin started another work of art that led to an easy Mika Zibanejad goal on the power play. He moved the puck across for Kreider, who then centered for a Zibanejad one-timer past Jarry to give the Rangers a two-goal lead headed to the locker room.

The goal looked like one you’d see in a video game. That’s how easy it was. It also explains why the Pens have failed in their first season under new general manager Kyle Dubas. The addition of Erik Karlsson hasn’t helped improve them. Neither has going all-in by re-signing Evgeni Malkin and Letang.

Sidney Crosby voiced his displeasure when Jake Guentzel was traded to the Hurricanes over a week ago. Crosby set up a nice goal scored by Bryan Rust that tied the score at two in the first period. The ageless superstar remains at a point-per-game client by recording an assist in the Pens’ loss.

At 36, Crosby has 32 goals and 34 assists for 66 points in 66 games. He shows no signs of slowing down. With one year remaining on a contract that pays him an average cap hit of $8.7 million dollars, it’s anyone’s guess what he wants to do. The Pens are in decline. Will Crosby stay a Penguin for his whole career? Time will tell.

That’s not the Rangers’ concern. They came into Pittsburgh and did what they had to do. Even though it wasn’t pretty, they came away with two points. Jonathan Quick was left to fend for himself. He made some key saves en route to earning his 15th victory of the season. He stopped 34 of 38 shots.

There were too many instances when the Pens had open looks on Quick. It’s a good thing he held up. In a game that they were outshot 38-28, the Rangers had the better goalie. They also had the luxury of facing a defensively inept opponent.

K’Andre Miller scored a big goal less than five minutes into the third period to give the Rangers some cushion. Earlier in the contest, he made a good defensive play to set up the first Panarin goal. His takeaway led to Vincent Trocheck coming in on a two-on-one and executing an elevated pass for a Panarin finish.

Miller added another assist on a Kreider empty netter – finishing with a goal and two assists for a three-point game. That earned him the game’s third star.

With a five-point game, Panarin grabbed the game’s first star. He’s up to 93 points. His third assist on the day was career assist number 500. He’s fifth in scoring.

Although he likely won’t be up for the Hart Trophy for league MVP due to a strong field that features frontrunner Nathan MacKinnon and Nikita Kucherov, it’s been the best year of Panarin’s career. The Bread Man will have all eyes on him when the postseason hits this spring. That’s where he and the Rangers need to get it done.

The Rangers are four points clear of the Hurricanes, who rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Maple Leafs 5-4 in a shootout tonight. They continue to lead the Metropolitan Division.

They’ll be back in action on Sunday afternoon when they visit the Islanders. It’ll be a good test.