Artemy Panarin with success and dignity supports the trend for the most different scoring records set by his compatriot from the Tampa Bay Lightning, Nikita Kucherov. Both Russians are showing some incredible numbers this season in the National Hockey League. Between them, they have long since surpassed the 200-plus points mark and have rewritten more than one page in the history of both their clubs and all Russians who have ever played in the NHL.
Many have long been waiting for Panarin to reach the coveted hundred in one regular season of the league. This year this event finally happened. But Artemy doesn’t even think about stopping. From match to match, the Russian gains a huge number of points. His personal scoring streak already stands at nine matches, in which he scored a total of 21 points (8+13).
This streak continued in today's game with the Montreal Canadiens. In a meeting with the most titled club in NHL history, but still an outright outsider in the league of recent years, the Blueshirts had a difficult time. In the first half of the match, the Habs put up serious resistance to the best club of the regular season, which the Rangers managed to break only after the middle of the second period, when Mika Zibanejad converted the power play after a pass from Panarin. In the third 20 minutes, Artemy gave out two more assists, scored a goal himself and didn’t even hit the empty goal. Khlebushek commented on this episode in his signature style: “Yes, I’ve been practicing shots on an empty goal all this morning. I still can’t hit.”
As a result, the Rangers defeated Montreal (5:2) and repeated the club record for the number of victories in one regular season (53), and Panarin scored 4 points.
Now the Russian super forward has 115 points (46+69) after 78 matches. In just one game, Artemy jumped several positions in the list of the most productive NHL seasons among all Russian hockey players in history. Panarin first beat Alexander Ovechkin, who spent his most productive season in his career in the 2007/08 season and scored 112 points, and then Evgeni Malkin, who scored 113 points in his record-breaking 2008/09 season.
Five the best NHL seasons for Russians are as follows (and may still change):
- Nikita Kucherov – 136 points (season 2023/24, championship continues);
- Nikita Kucherov – 128 points (2018/19 season);
- Alexander Mogilny – 127 points (1992 season /93);
- Sergei Fedorov – 120 points (1993/94 season);
- Artemi Panarin – 115 points (2023/24 season).
The Rangers have four more games left until the end of the regular season. During this period, Panarin is quite capable of scoring five points to become the fourth Russian hockey player in NHL history to score 120 points in one season. And if Khlebushek pushes himself and collects 8 points in the remaining four games, he will repeat what seems to be the eternal Rangers record: Jaromir Jagr scored 123 points in the 2005/06 season. Nothing is impossible for Artemy. This is a fact.
“His statistics over the last 7-8 years are incredible. Artemy is an elite forward. And this season is obviously his best,” Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette once again noted.
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