Daily Report – 12/5/25
Rangers
Artemi Panarin!
Last night in Ottawa, the Rangers beat the Senators 4-2, and Panarin recorded his 900th career point. He is the sixth undrafted player since 1964 to reach 900 points in at least 800 games (781). His 30 points this season lead the Rangers, and he’s scored 10 in his last six games, during which the Blueshirts have posted a 5-1-0 record.
Image Courtesy: New York Rangers
“Happy to get that, but glad we [won] tonight,” Panarin said. “Especially in a winning game, I have that number. So nice. But, to be honest, I didn’t know.”
Panarin wasn’t aware he had reached 900 points, but that just shows how focused he is on helping his team win games.
“He’s a unique talent,” said head coach Mike Sullivan. “He drives offense in so many different ways. He just has an ability to see the ice and see plays develop. He’s one step ahead of everybody on the rink, and that’s the game that he’s played for so long. He has scoring ability himself, but his playmaking ability is really something that might fly under the radar.”
Panarin didn’t start the season as well as he had hoped, and numerous shutout losses at home didn’t help him either. But now, his 21 assists rank two behind Adam Fox, whose 23 are tied for the third most in the NHL.
The Rangers were excellent everywhere on the ice last night, except for the penalty kill. Both goals they allowed came on the power play, but that’s nothing to be concerned about when the Rangers are defending so well at even strength.
“Whether it be off the rush or in the offensive zone, I thought we did a really good job, in particular tonight, getting inside a little bit more,” Sullivan said. “The forwards were getting to the net more. There was intention there. So, when we did use the blue line, when you’ve got net traffic, it makes it a whole lot more difficult for a goaltender to establish sight lines and establish position.”
The Rangers’ best play of the night, which showcased as much “intention” as any play this season, came midway through the first period, and it led to their second goal. As the Rangers finished a defensive shift, Noah Laba made an impressive body check at center ice, and he battled against Brady Tkachuk as he maneuvered the puck over the blue line. He managed to dodge a check by Tkachuk at the right circle, and then he stopped in his tracks.
While Laba was busy exercising patience in the offensive zone, Brett Berard had plenty of time to move net-front and cover Senators goaltender Leevi Meriläinen. Laba dropped the puck back for JT Miller, who crossed it up high for Braden Schneider. The defenseman shuffled the puck to Vladislav Gavrikov on his left, who scored on a clear shooting lane thanks to Berard’s screen.
When it was announced earlier this week that Adam Fox would miss at least a month with an upper-body injury, I wasn’t sure whether the Rangers would be able to handle the loss. They were having trouble generating offense, and it wasn’t clear if any defenseman could replicate Fox’s production.
However, two Rangers defensemen scored goals last night. Noticeably, Schneider has stepped up, taking Fox’s spot alongside Gavrikov, who has scored goals in consecutive games, along with three in his last four contests. In fact, Gavrikov has already matched his single-season career-high in scoring with six goals this season.
“[Gavrikov has] been great,” said Mika Zibanejad, who opened the scoring for the Rangers last night. “I think he’s a very smart player. His decision-making and where to go, the puck seems to find him. He’s making good reads, and he’s making great plays.”
Will Borgen was the other defenseman to score for the Rangers last night. In two games since Adam Fox’s absence, the Rangers have scored seven goals, and four have come from defensemen.
“We know when it’s time to defend and when we have to play to them,” Zibanejad said. “Structure is usually more so for getting into the O-zone, really, and then your creativity and your decision-making kind of takes over.”
Zibanejad’s goal came three minutes into the first period. Gavrikov helped Artemi Panarin clear the puck out of the defensive end, and JT Miller aced a cross-ice pass to Zibanejad on a two-on-one rush. Miller finished the night with three assists. It was his 400th career game with the Rangers.
Panarin’s 900th career point, also his 311th career goal, came in the final 45 seconds of the third period. The Senators had their net empty, and they weren’t letting any of the Rangers’ shots get through. After Miller hustled the puck into Ottawa’s zone, Panarin whiffed on his first attempt, so the Rangers had to find another way into the empty net.
From the slot, Vincent Trocheck passed up to Miller, who shuffled out to Panarin at the bottom of the left circle. Since he didn’t have a passing lane, Panarin fired the puck from down low, sealing the game for the Rangers.
Schedule
Tonight 12/5:
7:30 PM (6:30 PM CST): NYK vs. UTA; MSG, Gotham Sports
Saturday 12/6:
12:00 PM (11:00 AM CST): 2025 Big 12 Championship – BYU (11-1) vs. Texas Tech (11-1); ABC
12:30 PM (11:30 AM CST): NYR vs. COL; MSG, Gotham Sports
4:00 PM (3:00 PM CST): 2025 SEC Championship – Georgia (11-1) vs. Alabama (10-2); ABC
8:00 PM (7:00 PM CST): 2025 ACC Championship – Duke (7-5) vs. Virginia (10-2); ABC
8:00 PM (7:00 PM CST): 2025 Big Ten Championship – No. 2 Indiana (12-0) vs. No. 1 Ohio State (12-0); FOX
Sunday 12/7:
12:00 PM (11:00 AM CST): NYK vs. ORL; MSG, Gotham Sports
1:00 PM (12:00 PM CST): NFL on CBS, Week 14 – New York Jets (3-9) vs. Miami Dolphins (5-7); CBS, Paramount+
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CST): NYR vs. VGK; MSG, Gotham Sports
8:20 PM (7:20 PM CST): Sunday Night Football (SNF), Week 14 – Houston Texans (7-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (6-6); NBC, Peacock
7:00 PM (6:00 PM CST): Football Night in America (FNIA); NBC
8:00 PM (7:00 PM CST): Hyundai Sunday Night Kickoff; NBC, Peacock
8:10 PM (7:10 PM CST): GEICO Sunday Night Anthem; NBC, Peacock
