Zibanejad: “I hope Djurgarden wins now”
New York. Game 6-Mecha hit again last night.
Just like last year, the New York Rangers scored their first playoff goal of the season in their first must-win game – thus it will be Game 7 in the “Battle of the Hudson River.”
– Now we just have to hope Djurgården first wins Game 7 and then we win our game, Stockholmer tells Sportbladet after winning 5-2.
There has been frustrating criticism of Rangers’ top scorers, Mika Zibanejad among them, for not getting much done in the three-game losing streak leading up to tonight’s fight at Madison Square Garden.
But history repeats itself.
In exactly the same way, the media got banned when they couldn’t score in the opening five games against Pittsburgh last spring—and then exploded in game number six, when it was most needed.
“Then it will be easy.”
So it was the same against demons. After playing to a late 1-1, buddy Chris Kreider caught up in a power play at the end of the first period, Mika appeared in the middle of the second period in the middle of the castle in front of Akira Schmid and whipped in the first puck of this year’s playoffs.
– I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit it felt good, says the 30-year-old when we meet him in the bustling park afterwards.
– I’ve tried before and I hope for all the shots I take, this will be easy. But it is not. You have to keep driving and believe in yourself, at some point you’ll get into the puck and you did tonight.
“Sit at home and sweat”
The hard-fought Rangers – who clearly decided the season wasn’t over on this rainy Saturday night – scored another goal on Schmid and eventually won 5-2.
So now it’s going to be a definitive gas-hugging Game 7 in Newark on Tuesday night.
– It will be incredibly fun. Ask anyone who plays hockey what one game everyone wants to play and I promise you it’s game seven in a playoff game, Mika continues.
Who, however, should first suffer through a similar thriller on TV at home in a Manhattan apartment on a Sunday…
– Yeah, we just have to hope Djurgården first wins game 7 and then we win our game, smiles.
– I watched all the matches in the final of Svenskan, sat at home and sweated. I think I’m more nervous when they’re playing than when I’m doing it myself, haha.
How will things go on Sunday, then in your opinion?
– I think Djurgården will win.