The Recent York Rangers have lost at home on consecutive nights, losing to the Anaheim Geese and Vancouver Canucks. Rangers center Mika Zibanejad was mysteriously scratched for the Anaheim tilt, but was back on Tuesday. Zibanejad told The Athletic’s Vince Mercagliano that an accident caused traffic, which caused him to be late.
“It’s my tenth season (with NY). I do know what the (traffic) challenges are and whatnot, but it surely was an unlucky situation. I got stuck… I’m just hoping everyone in that accident was nice. But rules are rules, and I used to be late, so there’s not much else to say, truthfully,” ZIbanejad said, per Mercagliano.
The Rangers lost 4-1 to the Geese within the return game for former captain Jacob Trouba and fan favorite Chris Kreider. Each veterans are in Anaheim as a part of the mini-teardown Chris Drury pulled off after last yr’s disaster. Zibanejad, who could be very friendly with Kreider, was not on the ice. But he did meet up with Kreider postgame, per reports.
Zibanejad was back for the Rangers on Tuesday night against the last-place Canucks. It didn’t matter much, as Thatcher Demko shut out the Blueshirts at Madison Square Garden. Jonathan Quick made an incredible save within the second period, but it surely didn’t matter in the ultimate rating.
Zibanejad was a goal for the fans after a frustrating 2024-25 season. He scored just 20 goals, his lowest in a full season since his age-20 season back with the Ottawa Senators. Despite the slow begin to the season record-wise, Zibanejad does have 11 goals through 34 games, which is a significantly better pace.
The Rangers hit the road for a Thursday matchup with the St Louis Blues. Then, they’ve a matinee game against the Philadelphia Flyers, which can be a raucous holiday atmosphere on the Garden. The Rangers must get hot, and Zibanejad must be an element of it.