Panarin nets hat trick as Rangers dump Sharks

Artemi Panarin collected a hat trick and added an assist as the visiting New York Rangers claimed a 6-3 victory over the slumping San Jose Sharks -- in their first game after firing coach Pete DeBoer and replacing him with Bob Boughner -- on Thursday. Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev made 15 saves for the Rangers, who have won two of three games.

The Rangers trailed 3-2 early in the third period when Mika Zibanejad scored his first of two goals on the night, a power-play marker at 8:49. Zibanejad added his second, and ninth of the season, less than five minutes later. Then Panarin rounded out the scoring with a pair of markers 37 seconds apart, the last one into an empty net at 17:36.

The Sharks, who have lost four straight in regulation and on a 0-5-1 slide, twice blew leads. Despite New York's early advantage, San Jose's Tomas Hertl's shorthanded goal nine minutes into the game opened the scoring. Hertl snapped a nine-game drought with a short-side, blocker-side shot for his 11th goal of the season.

Jesper Fast put the Rangers on the board five minutes into the second period. Filip Chytil zipped around a defender and passed to Fast in the slot and he netted his fifth goal of the season. Then Panarin put the hosts ahead with his third goal in as many games. Panarin gained the puck at the bottom of the right circle and whipped it home at the 7:56 mark of the frame for his 16th goal of the season.

However, Logan Couture tied the score 2-2 just past the midway point of the second period. After Timo Meier intercepted a pass at the end boards, he fed Couture, who used all the time he was afforded to wait out the goaltender before burying his 10th of the season. San Jose's Brenden Dillon snapped a 106-game drought when he wired a top-corner, glove-side slap shot at 4:12 of the third period, a goal Joe Thornton assisted in his 1,600th regular-season game, to again put San Jose ahead, but they couldn't hold the lead.

Goalie Martin Jones made 24 saves for the Sharks. 

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)