Things were looking pretty bleak for the Rangers after they were shut out by the Boston Bruins Thursday. They had lost three in a row, had slipped to nine points out of a playoff spot, and were perilously close, it seemed, to being finished as far any realistic chance of making the playoffs.
But then, Artemi Panarin returned to the lineup for Saturday’s game, and the whole team seemed to get a lift. The Rangers dominated the Bruins, 4-0, and suddenly their outlook, as they return home for a pair of games at the Garden against the Philadelphia Flyers Monday and Wednesday, is much brighter.