Rangers’ Artemi Panarin has multiple miscues in Game 4 to forget

In a turn of events, the hero of Thursday night found himself on the opposite end of the spectrum for the Rangers on Saturday.

Just two nights prior, in a tense atmosphere permeating PNC Arena with desperation, Artemi Panarin emerged as the pivotal figure. With a goal in overtime, he dealt a decisive blow to the Hurricanes, propelling the Rangers to a commanding 3-0 series lead.

Panarin's heroics didn't end on the ice. As the clock wound down in regulation, he rallied his teammates in the cramped visitors' dressing room at PNC Arena. Despite Carolina's late equalizer in a six-on-five scenario, Panarin urged his comrades not to falter, emphasizing the need for resilience in overtime.

Artemi Panarin skates away while Stefan Noesen (23) celebrates with Teuvo Teravainen (86) after scoring a goal during the Rangers’ 4-3 Game 4 loss to the Hurricanes.

The Rangers' hopes took a hit with a disappointing 4-3 loss to Carolina in Game 4 at PNC Arena on Saturday night. Despite mounting a comeback from two separate two-goal deficits to level the game at 3-3 in the third period, the momentum quickly shifted, presenting a different narrative for the team—and especially for Panarin.

As the Hurricanes took an early lead of 1-0, courtesy of Evgeny Kuznetsov's unassisted goal just 1:51 into the game, the Rangers felt the initial blow. Panarin found himself slightly delayed in reaching a puck near the blue line, previously handled by former Rangers defenseman Tony DeAngelo.

That sequence led to a goal by Stefan Noesen, as Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba struggled to clear Carolina's Jordan Staal from the goal crease, extending the Hurricanes' lead to 2-0 at 6:33 of the first period.

Following a rebound shot by Carolina center Martin Necas, Noesen capitalized on the opportunity.

Despite the Rangers narrowing the deficit to 2-1 just 1:33 after Noesen's goal, Panarin's timing seemed slightly off as he entered the ice for his shift, and he took an unfavorable angle on Hurricanes center Jake Guentzel behind the Rangers' net.

Shortly after, Guentzel set up Sebastian Aho in the slot, with Panarin somewhat shielded by Aho in front of the net. Aho then beat Shesterkin high over his left shoulder, extending Carolina's lead to a surprising 3-1.

Artemi Panarin (10) loses control of the puck to Hurricanes’ Jordan Martinook (48) and Jalen Chatfield (5) during the third period of the Rangers’ Game 4 loss.

It was the first time in this postseason the Rangers trailed by more than one goal.

“We didn’t play well enough on defense,’’ Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said in a TV interview with TNT between the first and second periods. “You make a mistake early and [the puck] is in the back of the net. You don’t pick up defensively and it’s in back of net.’’

To be clear: Panarin was hardly the sole reason the Rangers lost Game 4 and now must try to close out this series Monday night at the Garden to avoid a second trip to North Carolina.

But, two nights after he was the difference maker in the Rangers Game 3 win, he played a part in setting the Rangers up for early adversity _ even if they were subtle mistakes on his part.

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