A day after a well-matched thriller, the Chicago Blackhawks are taking it to the Pittsburgh Penguins early on, and they have a 1-0 lead to show for it.
Artemi Panarin emerged from relative anonymity to be a fantastic complement to Patrick Kane, but every now and then people might wonder if he’s merely a passenger. The goal above makes a strong argument that he can hold his own, too.
Watch as the play develops from “Chicago’s doing a nice job keeping this sequence alive” to “Panarin’s dancing around an increasingly befuddled group of Penguins.” An NBCSN replay revealed that the Blackhawks kept it in Pittsburgh’s zone for more than a minute.
It’s a sight to behold, and it’s fitting that Panarin tied Dylan Larkin for the rookie goals lead with his 14th goal, as Larkin’s authored a recent beauty as well.
Update: Panarin added another goal, giving him four goals in two games (and possibly counting).