Artemi Panarin will return to the ice on Saturday. Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Rangers star Artemi Panarin to return from leave of absence against Bruins

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 3/13/21

New York Rangers star Artemi Panarin will return to the ice on Saturday against the Boston Bruins after a nine-game leave of absence, according to USA Today's Vince Mercogliano.

Confirmed: Artemi Panarin WILL play today vs. the #Bruins, ending a 9-game leave of absence. #NYR https://t.co/vUbzckB642
— Vince Z. Mercogliano (@vzmercogliano) March 13, 2021

Panarin returned to practice on Wednesday after taking a leave of absence from the Rangers on Feb. 22 due to false allegations that he beat up an 18-year-old girl in Latvia in 2011. The allegations came after Panarin showed support for Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Vladimir Putin's opponent.

The Rangers went 4-5-0 in Panarin's absence. The 29-year-old has five goals and 13 assists in 14 games this season.

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