PANARIN HELPS RANGERS TAKE TOP SPOT IN LEAGUE STANDINGS
Artemi Panarin (1-2—3) factored on three of four New York goals and eclipsed the 80-point mark as the Rangers (40-17-3, 83 points) became the first team to reach 40 wins this season while leapfrogging the idle Canucks (38-16-7, 83 points) for top spot in the overall standings.
* The No. 1 seed in the NHL has been held by three clubs in the past week (NYR, VAN and BOS) as the battle for the Presidents’ Trophy heats up, with the top six clubs separated by only four points. New York holds the top spot for the first time in nearly two months (last: through games played Jan. 4).
* The Rangers recorded their 40th win of the season in 60 games and matched their best pace in franchise history (also 60 GP in 1971-72). This marked the fourth time that New York was the first team to 40 wins in a campaign after 1971-72, 1991-92 and 1993-94, with the Rangers going on to win the Stanley Cup following the most recent instance.
* Panarin recorded his
fourth 80-point season with the Rangers – only
Mark Messier (5x) and
Rod Gilbert (4x) have as many with the club. It also marked Panarin’s third straight 80-point campaign, matching Messier for the longest such run in franchise history (3 from 1991-92–1993-94).
sauce:
https://media.nhl.com/public/news/17773