Artemi Panarin at Rangers practice on Feb. 7, 2021. Credit: NY Rangers/Nick Homler
The good news, if one wanted to start there, was that sparkplug forward Colin Blackwell, who had scored a goal in his first game as a Ranger, assisted on Alexis Lafreniere’s first NHL goal, and had three points in the first three games he played for the Blueshirts, was back in the lineup Friday for the Rangers’ game against the Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden.
The bad news was that Blackwell took Artemi Panarin’s spot in uniform.
Panarin, the Rangers’ leading scorer with five goals and 10 assists in the first 12 games, was unable to play after suffering a lower body injury in Wednesday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Bruins.