On Monday night, Artemi Panarin was welcomed back at MSG in his return. The Kings got the last laugh by defeating the Rangers 4-1 on Pride Night.

There wasn’t much team pride in a lopsided second period that saw the Kings dominate the Rangers by a significant margin. They were outshot 16-3 in what Adam Fox described as “some of the worst hockey, I think, of our season.”

After getting out to a good start, by testing Darcy Kuemper early with a couple of quality scoring chances, the Rangers fell behind when Drew Doughty beat Igor Shesterkin through traffic at 13:29.

Following an icing from Matthew Robertson, the Kings won a draw that led to Panarin moving the puck to Mikey Anderson. He then got it across for Doughty, who got his fifth to open the scoring. The secondary assist was the only point Panarin would get to give him 13 points in 11 games with Los Angeles.

During the first stoppage, the Rangers showed a video tribute that included Panarin scoring his biggest goal in overtime to eliminate the Pens. He received a warm ovation from fans, with some wearing his jersey. Afterward, he skated out and politely waved to thank the crowd. It was obvious that he was emotional. His body language showed how he felt.

After getting outshot 8-6 in the first period, the Rangers fell apart in the second. The Kings scored twice over an 18-second span to go ahead 3-0.

Anderson put in a rebound of an Alex Laferierre shot to increase the Kings’ lead to two. On a quick play in transition, Quenton Byfield set up Laferierre in the slot for a shot that Shesterkin couldn’t control, which allowed Anderson to slam it home. Adam Edstrom fell down behind the play due to a skate issue, creating a 3-on-2 that LA capitalized on.

With Vincent Trocheck off for high-sticking, the Kings went to work on the power play. Byfield set up Anze Kopitar for a shot that Laferierre batted in out of midair to put the Rangers down by three. It was good hand-eye coordination from Laferierre, who’s not to be confused with Alexis Lafreniere.

Rather than claw back, the Rangers had zero response. Instead, they were physically dominated by the more aggressive Kings, who are playing a more uptempo style under interim coach D.J. Smith. They blanketed the Rangers and, at one point, led in shots 24-8.

After hearing boos to end the second, the Rangers finally showed some signs of life in a much more inspired third period. They got back in it thanks to an early Trocheck power-play goal. With Laferierre  off for boarding Robertson, Mika Zibanejad set up Fox for a shot that Trocheck tipped in to cut the deficit to 3-1 with 17:31 left.

Despite continuing to take it to the Kings, who sat back, the Rangers were unable to draw nearer. Gabe Perreault had a close call but had his shot hit both the goalpost and crossbar. It was a frustrating night for both him and Lafreniere, who was denied by Kuemper of a goal at one point.

The new first line didn’t spend enough time in the offensive zone. Zibanejad felt that they passed up on some shots following the loss, which snapped a season best four-game winning streak. It was just their second loss in regulation since they returned from the Olympic break.

Noah Laba alnost had a goal back in the first period that would’ve tied it. But he was unable to hit the net with Kuemper down after Lafreniere created a chance.

With Shesterkin off for an extra attacker, Trevor Moore sealed it with an empty netter.

When it was over, each player lined up to congratulate Kopitar on a great career. The future Hall of Famer is one of the all-time greatest two-way centers to ever play the game. A two-time Stanley Cup champion who’s retiring at the conclusion of the season, he’s been a legendary King, who recently passed Marcel Dionne for the most points in franchise history. With a primary assist, Kopitar is up to 1,309 points.

The last player to congratulate him was fittingly Jonathan Quick. They’ll forever be intertwined due to teaming up to win Cups in 2012 and 2014. Quick gave his former teammate a huge embrace and tapped the Kings logo on his helmet. It’s very likely that Quick will also retire. If he does, he’ll join Kopitar in Toronto.

The Rangers lost to a more desperate team playing for their playoff lives. By taking two of three in the Metro area, the Kings tied the idle Kraken in points for the final wild card.

Meanwhile, the Blueshirts are down to 15 games remaining. Next up are the Devils on Wednesday at The Garden.