Rangers' Mika Zibanejad on his rough start to the season: 'It's the hardest thing ever'
The Rangers' Mika Zibanejad, center, watches as the Winnipeg Jets' Mark Scheifele knocks the puck down during the first period of an NHL game Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. Credit: AP/Seth Wenig
GREENBURGH – It’s not as if Mika Zibanejad didn’t realize that his three turnovers in Tuesday’s game all led to goals for the Winnipeg Jets that helped doom the Rangers to a 6-3 loss at the Garden to the NHL’s top team.
The 31-year-old Swede is well aware that he was minus-4 in that game, and he knows perfectly well that that isn’t good. However, he said, he also knows that he can’t dwell on negativity, as that isn’t going to help him turn things around.
But, he admitted, trying to stay positive after a game like that is not easy.
“It’s the hardest thing ever,’’ Zibanejad said Wednesday after the Rangers’ brisk, 35-minute practice in advance of Thursday’s home game against old friend Barclay Goodrow, rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini and the 5-9-3 San Jose Sharks. “I will never be able to fully explain what it is when you're in the situation. You have the mantras; you have the sayings to yourself – 'Forget about the mistake, just (focus on the) next action, next game, next shift.' It's harder than it sounds.
“But… if I'm going to be like, 'Oh, this is so tough,' then it's not going to help me,’’ he said. “So I have to find a way to trick myself, or whatever it is… So when things are tough, just keep working (and) get another chance tomorrow. That's the, sometimes, good and bad in hockey. You always get a chance to redeem yourself when things are tough, or keep it going when things are going good. So I’m not happy about yesterday, not happy about the loss. But if I'm going to think about it too much, then I don't think you're going to see a very good player tomorrow.’’
There are plenty of Rangers fans who would jump on that and say that Zibanejad, the team’s No. 1 center, hasn’t been a very good player all season. Entering Thursday’s game, Zibanejad is tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 11 points (two goals, nine assists) and a minus-6 rating. In five-on-five play, he has just one goal and two assists.
At one point during Tuesday’s game, Zibanejad left the ice during a faceoff, went to the bench and then to the locker room for a few minutes before returning.
“I don't know, I just felt ‘off,’ and needed a breather,’’ he said. “And that was it. It was nothing major. I missed a couple minutes and came back out, finished the game.’’
Ten days or so ago, coach Peter Laviolette switched up all of his forward lines in an effort to shake up the team. Zibanejad ended up between the team’s two top wingers Artemi Panarin and Alexis Lafreniere. But in 37 minutes, 46 seconds together, the trio was outscored by opponents 5-2; outshot 23-19, and out-attempted 46-31. On Wednesday, Laviolette went back to the lines he started the season with, putting Zibanejad between Chris Kreider and Reilly Smith, and Panarin and Lafreniere with Vincent Trocheck.
In talking of Zibanejad, Laviolette still takes care not to speak harshly about his play on the season or in the Winnipeg game.
“There were times where I thought that he was prowling offensively, he was on the attack,’’ Laviolette said. “Like everybody else, we just made a mistake or two at the wrong time and it cost us. But I do believe that… we're better than what we played (Tuesday) night. I believe that we can still clean up those things that seem to plague us a little bit in winning a game last like last night.’’
Blue notes
After sitting out four straight games as a healthy scratch, rookie D Victor Mancini was sent down to AHL Hartford and Chad Ruhwedel was recalled.
Colin Stephenson covers the Rangers for Newsday. He has spent more than two decades covering the NHL and just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
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