New York. Mika Zibanijad captures the shimmering evening light of Manhattan right now.
When tonight’s New York Rangers opened their conference final against Tampa with a somewhat unexpected 6-2 strike, he defended a new goal and assist – becoming the first in the “Blueshirts” since Wayne Gretzky in 1997 to reach 20 points in a playoff.
– It’s a nice name to associate with, but nothing to think of right now. He tells Sportbladet that the only thing that matters is that we win.
No, the Eastern Conference Final didn’t start exactly as the outside world had imagined.
After a first period that logically ended 1-1, Rangers took charge completely, leading 4-2 before the second half, and eventually winning 6-2.
Explanation?
Well, the defending champion was clearly a bit rusty after the nine-day break that followed the four straight victories against Florida, but the Rangers also put in a great effort.
– Yeah, we did what we were supposed to do and we stuck to our game, she says Mika Zibanjad When we spoke to him at Madison Square Garden after the final sign.
It’s the only way we can defeat a team like Tampa, to play the way that got us here.
red hot on ice
Mika himself speeded up the success of Match 7 against the Carolinas on Tuesday night, firing back in with his brutal direct shots in a powerplay, and also blasting the notable pass into Radar partner Chris Kreider’s 1-0 goal.
Thus, he – third in the points league – reaches a total of 21 points, thus the first time a Rangers player has broken the 20-point barrier in a playoff since Wayne Gretzky did it himself 25 years ago.
– Gretzky and Brian Leach have almost all records at this club, so if you do something like that, they’re the ones to catch up, and of course it’s good to relate to them, he continues.
– But that’s not something I’m thinking about right now. When I finish my career, I can certainly appreciate it in a different way, but the only thing that matters at the moment is that we win.
The immediate surroundings are more impressive.
“Mika is fantastic, he’s been our captain all season and he’s done a great job both in powerplay and in numerical flaws, for example,” says coach Gerard Gallant.
Ascend as captain
Czech youngster Filip Chetel – who in no time has grown into one of Rangers’ sharpest attackers and scored two second-half goals last night – agrees.
“He’s a great leader, he pushes us all to get better and I personally am constantly learning new things from Mika,” he says.
With tonight’s win, Rangers took a 1-0 lead in the conference final, but they didn’t take much advantage of that.
– No, we only played one match, and nothing was decided. We have to recharge and play again in a couple of days, says the Swede who catches Gretsky in Manhattan.