When the production of a top-level player is so far from clear in the middle of a season, the advice for him is to forget to chase the numbers, because, all in all, the stats won’t line up .
But the second period of a field hockey game arrives on Wednesday night and Mika Zibanejad would ask for differences.
Because after eight weeks wandering the wilderness, Zibanejad exploded with three goals and three assists in the Rangers ‘seven-goal blast within 20 minutes of the Flyers’ 9-0 win to tie the NHL points record. in a period set by Bryan Trottier against the Blueshirts on December 23, 1978.
It was a setback for Zibanejad, who recalled his five-goal extravaganza against the capitals at MSG on March 5, which represented the zenith of a season of 41 goals and 75 points (in no more than 57 matches, no more and no less) than had him on the precipice of a height higher than the title.
But then came this season. Then came the low season challenges of training in a pandemic. Then came the COVID-19 which attacked in early January and cost Zibanejad the first week of training camp.
Then came a season in which the 27-year-old Swede looked like he had practically never been on skates; a 10-minute kick in New Jersey on March 4; and the first 27 games, in which he recorded a total of three goals and eight assists. Even recently, although the center’s game had improved, there had been one goal (and six assists) in the previous eight games.
Then Wednesday night.
“Obviously it hasn’t been maybe what everyone expected, including me, obviously, but I’ve been trying to work and trust myself,” said Zibanejad, who scored an abbreviated goal, a power goal and a five-on-five goal. during the outbreak of the second period. “Over the past week or so, I’ve felt better in my game and I’ve received a lot of support and all the help I need from the ice boys.”
Zibanejad scored the Blueshirts’ sixth, seventh and eighth goals, all against relay goalkeeper Carter Hart. He scored an escaped shortie at the start of the first play at 8:27, climbed from the top close to the force play at 14:29 and then completed the trick by driving into the net from the right side to finish. a -go with Chris Kreider at 6:37 p.m.
“I was just trying to get over it. It has not been easy. That’s what it is, “said Zibanejad.” But it’s a game. Overall, I’ve been feeling a little better about what happened here. Production. Obviously, production is an important part of it. “
Do you think so?