If the production of a player of the highest level is so far from the halfway point of a season, the advice for him is to forget to chase the numbers, because when all is said and done, the statistics go do not match.
But along with the second period of a hockey game Wednesday night in the Garden, and Mika Zibanejad would beg to differ.
As Zibanejad wandered through the desert after eight weeks, he exploded three goals and three assists in the Rangers’ seven-goal outburst in the middle of 20 minutes of a crushing 9-0 victory over the Flyers for the NHL record to tie for points in a period. founded by Bryan Trottier against the Blueshirts on December 23, 1978.
It was a setback for Zibanejad, who returned on his five-goal extravaganza against the capitals at MSG on 5 March last year, culminating in a 41-goal, 75-point season (in no more than 57 games) less). it had him on the precipice of top-title stature.
But then came this season. Then came the challenges out of season to practice in a pandemic. Then came COVID-19 which took place in early January and cost Zibanejad the first week of training camp.
Then came a season in which the 27-year-old Swede looks like he has never been on skates before; a punctual ten-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 has improved, there has been one goal (and six assistants) in the previous eight games.
Then, Wednesday night.
“It was clearly not maybe what everyone expected, not even me, but I was just trying to work and trust myself,” said Zibanejad, who scored a short-headed goal, a power play and a five-pointer. aan- five goal during the eruption of the second period. “For the past week or so I’m feeling better in my game and I’m getting a lot of support and all the help I need from the guys on the ice.
Zibanejad scored the sixth, seventh and eighth goals of the Blueshirts, all against Carter Hart, the flyhalf. At 8:27 he recorded a breakaway shortie from a deck in front, went from top to bottom on the power play at 14:29 and completed the trick by driving from the right side to the net to give a and -goes with Chris Kreider at 6:37 p.m.
‘I was just trying to get myself through this. It was not easy. That is what it is, “said Zibanejad. “But this is one game. Overall, I’ve been feeling a little better lately. Of course, production is a big part of it. ”
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