Mika Zibanejad, Rangers try to figure out where things went wrong this season
Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad of the Rangers look on during the third period against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden on Monday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
GREENBURGH – Mika Zibanejad still believed that anything was possible, of course. But the reality of the math facing him, and all the Rangers, was daunting. Eight points out of a playoff spot with five games to go, beginning with Wednesday’s home matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, felt like a hole too deep to climb out of .
“The previous three years… we've been kind of in it, and this time of year getting ready for the playoffs,’’ Zibanejad said in a sitdown with Newsday at Wednesday’s morning skate. “Obviously, we probably need a miracle here, but at the same time, we have to play. We have a game tonight, and our job is to play well and win the game. And then, obviously, once it's – whenever it's official, playoffs or elimination – then we'll take it from there.’’
Elimination seems inevitable, and the Rangers are being forced to come to grips with that. After the Rangers lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday, Artemi Panarin said the obvious: That this season has not been like last season, when the Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy, with club records in wins (55) and points (114).
“We feel like we play the same,’’ Panarin said. “We try to play same way, but we're not [playing the same way] this year. I don't know why, exactly.’’
Zibanejad couldn’t say why things were different, either, though he did point out that the team itself is different. He noted the offseason departure of gritty Barclay Goodrow, a bottom-six forward but an important leader in the locker room, and pointed to the trade in early December of team captain Jacob Trouba and the March trade of top-four defenseman Ryan Lindgren as significant changes. Third-line center Filip Chytil and winger Kaapo Kakko also were traded mid-season.
“So it wasn't just, we had the same exact team from last year, with maybe a couple minor changes,’’ he said.
He also pointed to the 4-15 stretch the team went through from mid-November through the end of December, which he said, “kind of killed us a little bit, too.’’
“If we come out of that .500, I think we're in much better position than we would have been right now, going into this last stretch,’’ he said.
In racking his brain to find some reason things were different this year, Zibanejad suggested maybe elevated expectations for the team played a part.
In their first season under coach Gerard Gallant, in 2021-22, the Rangers surprised everyone with a 52-win, 110-point season and a run to the Eastern Conference finals. Two years later, in Peter Laviolette’s first season behind the bench last year, they surprised again in winning the Presidents’ Trophy and once again reaching the conference finals, losing in six games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
But with expectations higher in the second season under both Gallant and Laviolette, the team faltered.
“Going into the first year [under Gallant], we go out, no expectations, and we do really well, and go far in the playoffs,’’ Zibanejad said. “No one expected us to get through that first round. We were down, 3-1 [in a best-of-seven against Pittsburgh]. And then we come back next year, there's a lot more expectations… and how do we react to it?’’
Laviolette didn’t offer any theories as to what was different this year from last.
“There's no question that no two years are the same,’’ he said. “This one certainly isn't the same from last year. This year we've had to work for everything, and at times, it hasn't gone the way we wanted it to go.’’
With the exception of second-year forward Will Cuylle, most of the team’s highest-profile players have had lesser years than expected, including Zibanejad, who entered Wednesday tied for fourth on the team in scoring with 52 points in 77 games (17 goals, 35 assists). His plus/minus rating was a team-worst minus-22.
“It wasn't, obviously, a good year, personally, with the statistics,’’ Zibanejad said. “It's a disappointing, disappointing year. But like I've said before… one thing I do is I care. I care a lot about my game. I care a lot about what I can do to help this team, and I don't back down from anything.’’
Perreault scratched
Winger Gabe Perreault, who played the last three games after signing with the Rangers following the conclusion of his college season with Boston College, was a healthy scratch, with Brett Berard re-entering the lineup in his place.
“I think for a young player, especially straight out of college, there's going to be times, I think, where you can teach him, and show him, let him watch and learn in practice, playing some games as well,’’ Laviolette said. “He’s been good. Just a young player.’’
Blue notes
Jonathan Quick got the start in goal, with Igor Shesterkin likely to play Thursday at UBS Arena against the Islanders… Jonny Brodzinski was named as the Professional Hockey Writers Association New York chapter as the Rangers’ nominee for the Masterton Trophy, awarded for Perseverance and Dedication to hockey. Brodzinski, 31, is in his 10th professional season, and this is his first exclusively in the NHL. He recently played his 200th NHL game and entered Wednesday with a career-best 10 goals.
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.
