Rangers’ Artemi Panarin racking up points after slow start

TAMPA — Artemi Panarin is beginning to shake off his early season struggles.

With a newly shaven head, the star Russian wing has posted nine points — three goals and six assists — in the last four games after assisting on four goals in the Rangers’ 7-3 win over the Lightning on Wednesday night at Benchmark International Arena.

Just like that, Panarin leads the Rangers in points (16).

“I think when he’s at his best, the puck follows him around,” head coach Mike Sullivan said Wednesday after an optional morning skate. “He finds a way to have it a lot. I thought the last game he had it a lot. There are probably a number of reasons for that, but that’s what the game looks like when he’s at his best. I think he’s a threat off the rush. I think he has an uncanny ability to delay or slow the play down and allow the rush to go by him and then create opportunity. I think he’s getting better as far as supporting the play in the offensive zone. We’re trying to encourage him to be a little bit closer to his linemates, and I think he’s doing a better job there.

“I thought his line had more offensive zone time. I think that line has the ability to create offense in a number of different ways. They’re going to be dangerous off the rush because they’re talented, but they can build that grind game and they can be dangerous there also, because they’re talented. But that takes collective effort there, and that’s where we’re trying to help them. But I thought the line in general had a strong game last game.”

Despite looking rather disconnected through the first few weeks of the season, Panarin has collected four multipoint games through the first 18 contests — including one three-point game and two four-point efforts.

The Rangers have a record ofare 4-0 every time Panarin has collected multiple points in a game this season.

“My confidence [is] OK now,” Panarin said after his two-goal effort on Monday against the Predators. “Better than before.”

Igor Shesterkin saved 33 of the 36 shots he faced in his sixth win of the season.

In a move he said was largely due to matchups, Sullivan shifted Will Cuylle up to play with J.T. Miller and Mika Zibanejad toward the end of the second period and through the third.

“[Lightning coach Jon Cooper] wanted that match with [Nikita] Kucherov, [Jake] Guentzel and Brayden Point,” Sullivan said. “We just felt like that’s a tall task for a young kid [Gabe Perreault] that hasn’t played a whole lot in the league. If that was going to be the match, we thought it made more sense to have a guy like Will play with J.T. and Mika in that circumstance. Some of it was just based on the feel of the game, but some of it was just from a matchup strategy standpoint.”

The Rangers signed Spencer Martin to a two-year contract Wednesday before putting the 30-year-old goalie on waivers. If he clears, Martin will be assigned to Hartford.

Appearing in nine games for the Hurricanes last season, Martin posted a 3-4-1 record with an .846 save percentage and a 3.89 goals-against average.