The Rangers' Ryan Strome is congratulated for his goal against the Capitals in the first period of an NHL game Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Credit: AP/Bruce Bennett
Artemi Panarin was close to being ready to play Tuesday night, when the Rangers hosted the Devils at Madison Square Garden in the final game of what turned out to be a seven-game homestand, but ultimately the Russian forward missed his second straight game with a lower-body injury. That prompted coach David Quinn to stay with the same reconfigured second line he used Friday against the Boston Bruins, a line that featured 19-year-old Alexis Lafreniere on the left, 20-year-old Kaapo Kakko on the right, and 27-year-old Ryan Strome in the middle.