When a higher end player’s production is that far off in the middle of a season, the advice for him is to forget about chasing numbers because when it’s all said and done, the stats just don’t match.
But then comes the second period of a hockey game at the Garden on Wednesday night and Mika Zibanejad would disagree.
As after eight weeks of wandering the wasteland, Zibanejad exploded for three goals and three assists in the burst of seven goals for the Rangers in the middle 20 minutes of a landslide 9-0 victory over the Flyers to set the NHL record for points in one period. founded by Bryan Trottier at the Blueshirts on December 23, 1978.
It was a throwback performance for Zibanejad, harking back to his five-goal extravaganza against the Capitals at MSG last March 5, marking the culmination of a season with 41 goals and 75 points (in no more than 57 games, no less) that had formed him on the abyss above the title.
But then came this season. Then came the off-season challenges of training in a pandemic. Then came COVID-19 that struck in early January and took Zibanejad the first week of training camp.
Then came a season in which the 27-year-old Swede looked as if he had never skated before; a pointed 10-minute benching in New Jersey on March 4; and the first 27 games, in which he scored a total of three goals and eight assists. Even recently, while the center’s play had improved, there had been one goal (and six assists) in the previous eight games.
Then Wednesday night.
“It was clearly not what everyone expected, including myself of course, but I tried to just work and trust myself,” said Zibanejad, who scored a short goal, a power play goal and a five-on-goal. scored five goals during the eruption of the second period. “Last week I felt better in my game and got a lot of support and all the help I need from the guys on the ice.”
Zibanejad scored the Blueshirts’ sixth, seventh and eighth goals, all against relief goalkeeper Carter Hart. He scored a breakaway shortie from a deke to the forehand at 8:27, went up close on the powerplay at 2:29 pm and completed the strike by driving from the right to the net for a give-and-go To make. – join Chris Kreider at 6:37 PM.
‘I’ve tried to help myself through this. It has not been easy. It is what it is, ”said Zibanejad. ‘But it is one game. Overall, I’ve been feeling a little bit better here lately. Obviously, production is a big part of it. “
Yes, do you think?