New York Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad has been on fire since the playoffs began on April 20th. The rumors of his demise have been disproved in the five playoff games.
The Rangers are now 5-0 in the postseason
The Rangers have won their first five playoff games for the first time since the 1994 season (they won the first 7 games), led by center Mika Zibanejad, who is now tied for second in playoff points. He recorded his fourth multi-point playoff game, and he became the fourth player in Rangers history to do so. He has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in five games.
His confidence in his game has grown since a subpar regular season (by Mika standards) ended. Although he had a 19-point dropoff this year compared to last season, his teammates never lost faith in the center. Teammate and best friend on the team, Chris Kreider, had this to say about Zibby following the win Sunday:
“Mika does everything for us. Face-offs, responsible in his own zone, detailed, contributes offensively.”
Chris Kreider via NHL.com
Mika Zibanejad was the catalyst to success in Game 1 against the Hurricanes
Zibanejad has been on the team’s first PP unit for the entire season with Kreider and Vincent Trocheck. Their chemistry paid off as the team scored two power-play goals, one of which made every network highlight reel.
The play saw not one but two no-look behind-the-back passes by Trocheck and Kreider, which found Zibanejad for a one-timer goal that sailed past Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.
“We really wanted to have a good start, especially at home, Game 1. Been off for a few days here and able to rest, and I thought that was most noticeable,” Zibanejad said. “Guys were excited to play, and obviously when we were able to score on our chances early on and get a little bit more momentum. That was good.”
Mika Zibanejad via NHL.com
The Rangers are taking the postseason one game at a time
You are only as good as your last game, and Zibanejad knows that consistency is quite important if the Rangers wants to lift the Stanley Cup in June. He, along with Coach Laviolette, understands the importance of having a one-game-at-a-time attitude to advance to the next round.
Mika’s strong gameplay in the past five games gives the Blueshirts another advantage against a strong Hurricanes hockey club. Mika May hopefully leads to a Mika June. One game at a time.
Game 2 will be at MSG on Tuesday, May 7th, at 7 pm.
