Rangers’ Artemi Panarin is finally getting his mojo back after a slow start

This wasn’t like last season, when Artemi Panarin opened with points in eight straight games and 15 of the first 16 games. And it wasn’t like the 2023-24 season, either, when Panarin racked up points — 26 of them total — in each of the Rangers’ first 15 games en route to a career-best 120 games.

Instead, it has taken some time for the Blueshirts winger to settle into a production rhythm this year, with an upper-body injury since the end of the preseason limiting his impact in the opener.

But Panarin contributed a goal for the second match in a row during Rangers lose 3-1 to Wild Monday and has earned five of his seven points over the past two games.

With the offense continuing to struggle through the opening period, the Blueshirts will need to rely on this version of Panarin for consistent production.

“The beginning of the year, especially three home games, like four home games we have one goal now,” Panarin said after the Rangers fell to 0-4-0 at the Garden this season. “I mean, I think it’s a simple answer: generate more chances and then start focusing on shooting probably and then the bodies should go to the net to check.”

Even after recovering from the injury, Panarin and his original line — along with Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere — needed to adapt after Trocheck suffered an upper-body injury in the second game of the season and ultimately landed on long-term injured reserve.

Panarin skated mostly with Will Coyle and Mika Zibanejad on Monday, though he also logged 1:58 with Miller at center and Zibanejad on the wing as well.

Panarin deflected in front of the net, took a pass from Zibanejad and sent a shot over the glove of Filip Gustafsson to open the scoring just 57 seconds into Monday’s game.

It also ended the Rangers’ scoreless drought at the Garden — which extended to a historic mark of 180:57 after three straight shutouts to start the team’s home slate — which became the most obvious takeaway from their first week of the season, even with so much consistent play in the offensive zone put together.

Also late in the win over the Canadiens on Saturday, Panarin — who was on his contract for a year — received a pass from Zibanejad, fired a shot that bounced off the post and watched it go into the net.

He also collected two assists on the Blueshirts’ other three goals, recording his first four-point game since Oct. 17, 2024 and once again, after a brief lull, becoming the nucleus of the Rangers’ production.

Matthew Robertson, who continues to impress after making the Rangers’ roster as the seventh defenseman and then earning a shot at the top six, collected at least 20 minutes of ice time for the first time in his NHL career on Monday (20:19).

He blocked two shots, hit two, and attempted five shots.

With his assist on Panarin’s goal on Monday, Zibanejad surpassed Steve Vickers and moved into 10th place in Rangers history with 341 assists.

Goaltender Igor Shesterkin entered Tuesday’s games first in the NHL for goals against average (1.17) and save percentage (.957) despite a 2-3-1 record.