LAS VEGAS — Artemi Panarin is still completing the mandatory five-day quarantine as part of the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol and will not be available for the Rangers’ game against the Golden Knights on Thursday.
Panarin did not travel with the team, but the star winger could clear protocol in time to play in Saturday’s game against the Ducks in Anaheim, Calif.
The Rangers did get defenseman Jarred Tinordi back on Wednesday. Tinordi, who hasn’t played since Nov. 21 against the Sabres, had been in COVID-19 protocol as well.
K’Andre Miller registered an inconclusive COVID-19 test on Tuesday, so the Rangers’ second-pair defenseman was held out of practice on Wednesday. Tinordi skated in his place alongside Jacob Trouba, but head coach Gerard Gallant sounded confident that Miller would be good to go Wednesday night.
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Additionally, Patrik Nemeth was added to non-roster status with what the team said is a non-COVID issue. The veteran blueliner was sidelined for the 4-0 victory over the Lightning on Sunday due to “personal reasons,” before he missed Monday’s matchup with the Oilers as well.
Gallant confirmed Nemeth was OK.
After recording a goal and an assist in the Rangers’ win over the Oilers on Monday, Alexis Lafreniere now has four career multipoint games, two of which have come this season.
The goal was the 20th of his career, making Lafreniere the seventh winger in Rangers history to achieve the feat before his 21st birthday. He joins Don Murdoch (35), Mike Allison (33), Tomas Sandstrom (29), Alex Kovalev (29), Troy Mallette (24) and Kaapo Kakko (24) as the only Rangers to achieve the milestone.
“I’m moving my feet a little more and making more plays and holding on more to the puck,” Lafreniere said. “That’s my game, and I’ll keep learning from the guys I’m playing with. They have good advice for me, so I’ll keep learning and keep getting better as a player.”
Chris Kreider is just the fourth Ranger to score 12 power-play goals through 24 games and the first since Marian Gaborik did it during the 2009-10 season.
Posting his 20th goal of the season on Monday, Kreider has reached that mark for a fourth-straight season and for the seventh time in his career. He went into Wednesday tied for fourth in the NHL, while his 12 man-advantage tallies ranked second in the league behind the Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl.
Kreider, the longest-tenured Ranger has surpassed Steve Vickers (69) for sole possession of ninth place on the Rangers’ all-time power-play goals list.