Getty Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers celebrates a goal against the Boston Bruins
In a battle of heavyweight NHL teams held at the TD Garden on Thursday, March 21, the visiting New York Rangers coasted past the Boston Bruins, beating them 5-2 in a game packed with record-breaking developments and personal achievements.
It was a special night for a trio of Rangers, each of them with very different tasks within the organization.
First, forward Artemi Panarin scored a hat trick and reached 40-plus points in a single season for the first time in his career. Before this year, Panarin had topped at 32 goals, when he hit that figure in 2020.
Second, goaltender Jonathan Quick tied Ryan Miller for the most wins among U.S.-born goalies with 391 (though it took Quick 19 fewer games than it did Miller).
And third, head coach Peter Laviolette coached his 1,500th NHL game, the ninth most in NHL history.
With the win, the Rangers (46-20-4) inched closer to the Bruins (41-15-15) in the Eastern Conference standings, now sitting just one point behind their foes, 96 to 97 with one game in hand. Each team leads its respective division with the Bruins sitting atop the Atlantic Division and the Rangers ahead of everybody else in the Metropolitan Division.
Artemi Panarin Scores Hat Trick, Breaks 40-Goal Barrier
Panarin’s hat trick added the 39th, 40th and 41st goals to his 2024 season tally. The Russian winger has now scored 97 points, getting closer than ever to reaching the 100-point plateau for the first time as a pro.
Playing in New York for the fifth season after signing with the franchise as a free agent heading into the 2020 campaign, Panarin is on pace to become the first Rangers player to score 100+ points since Jaromir Jagr accomplished the feat nearly a decade ago in the 2006 season.
Per Stathead, he’d also be just the seventh player in franchise history to score 100 points in a single season, and just the second since 1992 along with Jagr.
Panarin tied the game 7:58 minutes into the second period to tie the affair after Boston opened the score midway through the first stanza. The Rangers winger was lucky to score his second goal (and 40th overall) with less than a minute left in the second frame after one of his passes was deflected into the net by Boston Bruins defender Jake DeBrusk.
Finally, Panarin put the cherry on top of a historic day by scoring an empty-net goal at 19:08 while completing his seventh NHL hat trick.
Jonathan Quick Ties U.S. Record, Peter Laviolette Coaches 1,500th Game
It wasn’t all about scoring goals for the Rangers in their matchup against the Bruins, but also about stopping them. Although New York couldn’t shut out Boston allowing the Bruins to score two goals, Quick completed 24 saves on his way to earning the 391st win of his career.
The win tied Miller’s tally as the largest among U.S.-born goalies in NHL history, and with more than 10 games left in the regular season, Quick will likely overtake Miller between now and the start of the playoffs.
Jonathan Quick reflects on tying Ryan Miller for the most wins by an American-born goalie:
“It means I’ve played with a lot of good players over the years. It takes a lot to win one game”
“It takes a lot to win one game, right? And you need coaching, four lines, six [defensemen] … so I’ve been fortunate to play with a lot of great players,” Quick told reporters after the win. “I’m grateful for the work they’ve put in to allow me to achieve that.”
Besides great players, Quick has played under great coaches too, including his current one, Peter Laviolette, who is coming off coaching the 1,500th NHL game since he started to manage hockey benches in the 2002 season.
Laviolette became just the ninth head coach in NHL history to reach that milestone and he’s one of three active coaches in the league with 1,500+ games coached, including John Tortorella (Philadelphia Flyers) and Paul Maurice (Florida Panthers).
“I didn’t actually know it was tonight,” Laviolette said before the game, via Larry Brooks of the New York Post. “I just feel fortunate. I’ve been in the game for a long time and worked with so many great players and great coaches and organizations, so I feel fortunate for that.
“That’s a big number, though,” Laviolette said.