NHL Rewind: Vladimir Tarasenko scores in Rangers debut, Sidney Crosby gets tossed vs. Kings

There was a lot going on in the NHL over the weekend, which means there’s a lot to talk about today.

One of the biggest trades of the season is already working for the New York Rangers, as Vladimir Tarasenko scored in his first game in blue. On Saturday, two different players scored four goals, and Sidney Crosby managed to do something that he has never done in his entire prolific NHL career.

Let’s take a look at the most important storylines and highlights of the NHL weekend.

Goal of the weekend: Garnet Hathaway pays the price for glory

Not every goal can be the result of Connor McDavid sweeping past a defender and knocking the keeper out of his brace. Some of them must be bold. Garnet Hathaway’s result against the Boston Bruins is the best of both worlds.

After losing to the Bruins, Hathaway had a clear path to the high slot and fired over the shoulder of Jeremy Swayman. However, this goal did not come without a little pain. Bruins defenseman Connor Clifton landed a slightly over-late shot on Hathaway that knocked him out onto the ice.

Completely unafraid of being dropped like a sack of potatoes, Hathaway simply decided to celebrate on his back. This is the purpose of the weekend stuff right here.

Weekend Robbery: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen closes exit 2 on 0

Lukonen had a tough game against the Flames, but it was still one of the best saves of the season. In a power play by the Sabers, Jack Quinn lost his footing, leaving the Flames in a 2-on-0 shorthanded game that you don’t see every day.

Andrew Mangiapane passed to Dillon Dube, but Luukonen expected it. He slid from bar to bar, and Dube’s shot hit Luukkonen’s glove right in the web.

The shot was so hard that the puck popped out of Luukonen’s glove, but he had the presence of mind to pounce on the rebound before Flame got close to it. Luukkonen conceded seven goals in this game, but this save was in the spotlight all weekend.

Tarasenko makes a great first impression at Rangers

On Friday night, Tarasenko made his debut against the Seattle Kraken at Madison Square Garden and put on a show. Even before the puck dropped, fans in New York were thrilled to see Tarasenko in the blue and red uniform.

Less than three minutes into the game, Artemi Panarin found his new teammate rushing towards the goal and threw a pass into the bottom slot. Tarasenko parried Panarin’s pass past Martin Jones and caused a storm of emotions from MSG.

After his first goal as a Ranger, the crowd in New York chanted Tarasenko’s name as the team marched to a 6-3 win.

Artemiy Panarin scored a plus one hat-trick

Panarin may have helped Tarasenko score the first goal, but he was the one who scored the most in Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Hot Panarin set up a clinic, leading the Rangers’ late onslaught.

With two minutes left in the second period, the Rangers were trailing 2-1, but Panarin equalized with a top-circle shot that accurately beat Freddie Andersen.

Less than five minutes into the third period, Panarin gave the Rangers the lead. This time he made money on the rebound with such a quick reaction that at first it seemed that Vincent Trochek scored, but Panarin’s stick got to the loose puck first.

Late in the third period, the Hurricanes were looking to score a goal to tie the game, and all five skaters hit deep into the New York area. This gave Panarin a break from turnover, and he did not miss the chance to play it safe. While Panarin was celebrating, hats and bread flew over the glass in Raleigh.

After Kaapo Kakko’s goal into an empty net, Panarin decided that a hat-trick was not enough for him, and, just in case, missed Andersen one more goal.

While Panarin has been accumulating assists lately, he hasn’t scored in the eight games leading up to his four-goal explosion. This is a good way to get out of a performance slump.

Like Adrian Kempe…

Panarin was not the only player to score four goals in one match on Saturday. Just hours after the Panarin bombing, Adrian Kempe went to work against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Early in the second period, Kempe, with some help from Anze Kopitar, rebounded and hit the crossbar to give the Los Angeles Kings a 3-0 lead.

Only a few minutes later, Kopitar found Kempe again, this time not in a hurry. Kempe took Kopitar’s serve and placed it right under Casey DeSmit’s arm for his second goal of the night.

Kempe scored a hat-trick before the end of the second period, and you will never believe who contributed to the goal. Kopitar got some help this time when his pass knocked the Penguins’ penalty killer off his skate and landed right on Kemp at the net.

The Kings were on a 5-on-3 powerplay in the third period, and this time Kempe scored without any help from Koptar at all. Kevin Fiala hit Kempe on the first try and shot past DeSmit for four in a row.

With this goal, Kempe became only the seventh player in the last 30 years to score four consecutive goals in a game. Ironically, it was also the first time a Kings player had scored four goals in a game since Dustin Brown did in 2018 and had his number retired ahead of Saturday’s game.

Sidney Crosby to play Kings

On the other side of that 6-0 loss in Los Angeles was Sidney Crosby, who managed to make another first hit on his career to-do list. I’m not sure crashes out of the game was something Crosby aimed for before retiring, but he did it anyway.

Halfway through the third period, Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson double-checked Crosby in front of the net. Anderson was whistled for a penalty, but he and Crosby argued with each other after the game. This earned both players a 10-minute offense. Anderson was fine to end the incident on this one, but Crosby couldn’t cool off at that point. The Penguins legend said something—either to Anderson or an official—for which he received a total misdemeanor.

After the game Crosby said he was “shocked” to learn he had been kicked out. and fired a not-so-veiled shot at the referee.

“Can I really say what I think?” Crosby said. “Let’s be honest here.”

At least Crosby didn’t have to endure the last 10:14 breakout. This is a veteran move.

View this week’s meeting

Bruins on the stars | Tuesday, February 14: When the top two teams in each conference battle it out, it needs to be on TV. Surprisingly, the Bruins have lost four of their last five games while the Stars have suffered a crushing loss to the Lightning. These two teams will be itching to get back into the win column.

Lightning in an avalanche | Tuesday, February 14: We just saw these teams go head-to-head in a decisive 5-0 victory for the Lightning. However, I doubt we’ll see another explosion like this in the 2022 Stanley Cup Finals rematch.

Rangers to Oilers | Friday, February 17: When the season started, it was the two teams that were in talks to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. With the arrival of Vladimir Tarasenko, the Rangers look more dangerous than ever. The offensive firepower on ice in this one is endless.

Devils at penguins |…