GREENBURGH – Artemi Panarin scored the Rangers’ final goal of 2023-24, an ultimately futile tally with 1:40 left before time ran out on them for good. The symbolism was as subtle as a Matt Rempe check into the boards: Too little, too late, for the team and for its highest-paid player and biggest non-goalie star.

By the time Artemi Panarin got on the board in this Eastern Conference Final, it was far too late to celebrate. For the first half of this playoff run, it appeared that Panarin had finally defeated the narrative that grabbed hold of his last two postseasons.

As the New York Rangers’ pursuit of the Stanley Cup came to a halt, Artemi Panarin’s scoring difficulties became all too apparent. Initial stages of the playoffs brought hope that Panarin had overcome the postseason struggles of previous campaigns.