Does Mika Zibanejad qualify for the Comeback Player of the Year award and, if so, can we introduce her to this minute and continue with the rest of the season?
Because the Swede is an epic landslide for himself after making history with his second consecutive hat trick and a six-point game against the Flyers. He came Thursday at the Rangers’ 8-3 funeral of the Philadelphia Flyers, which followed last Wednesday’s 9-0 at the Garden.
It was 6-0 at 2:42 of the second period for the Blueshirts, who are 4-1 under current head coach Kris Knoblauch and 5-1-1 in the seven games since Artemi Panarin joined the group on March 13 in Boston, while beating opponents by a total of 34-14.
The six points for Zibanejad give him 17 (7-10) in the last seven contests and 18 (8-10) in the 10 games since he was caught on the bench in the first 10:46 of the second period at the Devils on March 2. Coming out of that, Zibanejad had eight points (2-6) in 21 games. He now has 26 points (10-16) in 32 contests.
“I do not know if the self-doubt is correct [term] but it was definitely a struggle for me to put the puck in the net, “said Zibanejad, who became the third player in NHL history and the first in 1942-43 to score several six-point outings against the same opponent in a only season … “But I tried to stick to the job and trust myself that it would follow. Obviously, now it really worked for me and the whole team.
“Try to take one game at a time, especially when things aren’t going well, but even more so now that the puck is coming in. I’m just trying to stay level and keep working.”
A few more games against the Flyers, who have conceded 57 goals in the last 12 games, and Zibanejad could find Connor McDavid for the Art Ross Trophy.
Everything seems possible all of a sudden, with the Blueshirts pulling three points behind the Bruins for the playoff spot in the Eastern Division, although Boston has three games in hand.
Everything seems possible, with Igor Shesterkin watching the return, after a three-week absence, in a performance of 41 saves, which was necessary when his teammates played as if they were calm after winning 6 -0. Everything seems possible, with Adam Fox registering five assists to stimulate a national Norris Trophy campaign. Everything seems possible after another night of bravery from Panarin and Ryan Strome.
A year ago, Rangers’ top two lines gave the team its identity. Specifically, the identity was created around Panarin and Zibanejad, who finished the season as two of the top 10 players in the world. Welcome back.
“We see it a bit,” said Fox, who made quarterback in the power play that hit three goals to four shots at 3:19 from his first three chances with the man advantage. “At the beginning of the year, we kept the teams with low objectives, but we didn’t manage to get that crime.
“Obviously, scoring goals in the power play helps. I had chances at the beginning of the year, but I didn’t capitalize. Now we find some goals and achieving goals helps the boys’ confidence and creates more chances.
“It helps, and I don’t think we’re fooling the game. We have a chance in a hurry and we capitalize on this. Start at the back end. ”
Shesterkin said he was aware of his three-week absence at the start of the match. But he came in quickly with a couple of difficult saves in the first seven minutes plus to keep the game without a score.
Then the flood, with Strome marking a redirect in front of a superb feed from Panarin, while media critic Jakub Voracek was nearby, but inattentive at 8:01. Pavel Buchnevich got his first of two from a two-to-one feed from Chris Kreider 52 seconds later. It took almost five minutes for Zibanejad to get his first, throwing in Fox’s power drive at 13:36.
There were three more in the first 2:42 of the second that led Carter Hart to the bench, Zibanejad sharpening a timer in the lower left circle at 0:54 just 1:12 before break a single timer at home. from the high slot to complete the hat trick at 2:06, which came 36 seconds ahead of K’Andre Miller’s long shot, which could have hit a Philly defender in front.
The Rangers started to sniff points and became careless after that, and the Flyers slipped into 6-2 until 13:34. But Shesterkin shone during the last period in which Philadelphia shot 18 shots on the net for a total of 44.
So it ended 8-3. Maybe it’s time for the Rangers to stop presenting Zibanejad with the Broadway hat after nights like this and give him all the damn gallantry.