The Rangers have three players named to the All-Star Game for a second straight season and for the third time since 2011-12.
Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin will join Igor Shesterkin at the NHL’s All-Star Weekend from Feb. 3-4 in Sunrise, Fla., the league announced Thursday night after the Rangers’ 3-1 loss to the Bruins. Shesterkin was named this month while Fox and Panarin were added as part of the All-Star Fan Vote.
It’s the second time both Fox and Panarin have been named to the All-Star Game, but both missed the event the first time around due to injury. Fox was selected last season, while Panarin earned his initial honor during the 2019-20 season, his first with the Rangers.
Fox, who has been one of the team’s most consistent producers this season, has a point in 31 of his 45 games. Among NHL defensemen, Fox is tied for third in assists (36), fourth in points (45), tied for seventh in goals (9) and tied for first in game-winning goals (4). In the 10 multi-point games the 24-year-old blueliner has posted, the Rangers are 10-0-0.
Since his rookie season, the Jericho, LI, native has recorded the second most assists of any NHL defenseman (175) and the fifth most points (208). His 175 assists are tied for the second most assists in a player’s first four NHL seasons in Rangers history.
The 31-year-old Panarin currently leads the Rangers with 47 points. His 35 assists are tied for the 10th most in the NHL and tied for the second most in the Metropolitan Division. In 553 career NHL games with the Rangers, Blue Jackets and Blackhawks, the Russian wing has 199 goals and 417 assists for 616 points. He ranks third in the NHL in assists, fourth in points and seventh in multi-point games (169) since he made his debut during the 2015-16 season.
Chris Kreider returned to the lineup Thursday night after missing the previous three games with an upper-body injury. He slotted back into his usual spot on the left wing of Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko.
Sammy Blais was, once again, the odd-man out, marking his fifth healthy scratch this season. As a result, the fourth line was comprised of Jake Leschyshyn, Jonny Brodzinski and Jimmy Vesey. The top nine returned to its usual formation. The second line featured Panarin, Vincent Trocheck and Vitali Kravtsov, while the third was made up of Alexis Lafreniere, Filip Chytil and Barclay Goodrow.
The Rangers will have Friday off before they return to practice Saturday at the Garden, where the workout will be open to the public for the first time this season.
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