Mika Zibanejad is at the center of the Rangers’ mistakes in the loss to the Jets

by Junna Base November 14, 2024

NEW YORK – You could argue the Rangers played better in Tuesday’s loss than they have in some recent wins, but they don’t play the games for consolation prizes.

They had a chance to knock off the NHL-leading Jets at Madison Square Garden and let them get away with it, with a few costly errors leading to a 6-3 loss. It was New York’s fourth loss in its last eight games, while Winnipeg improved to 15-1 in its record-setting start to the season.

“When you play against this team, you need more discipline,” said striker Artemi Panarin. “It’s like a playoff game.”

The Rangers (9-4-1) went head-to-head with the hottest team in North America and held their own – at least until the final third.

Notably, they generated a more consistent offensive burst than we’ve seen in recent weeks, outscoring the Jets 36-33. But a few posts and a strong performance from reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, who finished with 33 saves, prevented them from posting a higher point total.

“I think we played a pretty good team game,” Panarin said. “Everyone did their best, beat people. We played pucks, worked for them, won the battles and also took a lot of shots. That just happens sometimes. I can’t say we were the worse team tonight, but they won the game.”

The Blueshirts ironed out some of the issues that plagued them, particularly when it came to breaking the puck out of their own zone and pushing forward, but Winnipeg was cleaner. And when the Rangers fumbled pucks or made poor decisions, the Jets pounced.

“We played a solid game,” said Filip Chytil. “We played hard. In the end we had more shots on goal than our opponents. But they scored more goals than us and they took advantage of the occasional players they had. … We need to help our goalkeepers more, because five or six goals (allowed) is still a lot.”

Mika Zibanejad’s costly ball losses

The most serious mistakes came from Mika Zibanejad, who looked like the old Mika at times on Tuesday, but still seems to apply pressure at inopportune moments.

“I can’t speak for Mika and I don’t know where he stands,” Laviolette said when asked if he sensed Zibanejad’s frustration. “I know we’re counting on Mika. He is an impact player for us. Not him, but sometimes when you put pressure on offense and try to get things going, things can go the other way.”

It started on Zibanejad’s very first shift when he tried to throw a pass over the boards to Panarin, but the new linemates clearly weren’t on the same page.

Panarin didn’t expect the puck to go straight to Josh Morrissey, who then made a simple pass to Mark Scheifele in front of the New York net.

“I thought we were going out on the first shift and leaving right away,” Laviolette said. “I thought we were on the right track and it just felt like we made a mistake in the game that ended up hurting us. That is changing quickly. There are a lot of isolated incidents out there where they are. “They are the best team in the league and they score a lot of goals.

Will Cuylle responded for the Rangers by knocking down a Braden Schneider rebound later in the half to tie the score at 1-1, but the theme of chasing the Jets remained throughout the night.

Gabe Vilardi put Winnipeg back on top, 2-1, with a nice power-play goal 8:58 into the second period. Alexis Lafrenière equalized a few minutes later with a PPG of his own – but before the quarter was over, another ball loss from Zibanejad came back to haunt them.

This came after a weak pass attempt after he moved the puck into the offensive zone, which sparked a quick attack from the Jets that bounced right back at the Rangers. Kyle Connor ended the two-on-one rush with a wrist throw that beat Igor Shesterkin on the short side and made it 3-2 Winnipeg 3:57 into the second.

The third goal for Zibanejad marked the start of the final frame. Vilardi grabbed his bag while No. 93 held the puck in the neutral zone, and the Jets converted the ensuing possession into Scheifele’s second goal of the game. That extended their lead to 4-2 with 18:52 to play, and although Kaapo Kakko quickly scored and the Rangers got within a point, they couldn’t quite get out of that final gap.

With 6:52 minutes left in the game, Vladislav Namestnikov made the final score 5-3, dashing the Rangers’ hopes of a comeback. Connor’s miss in the final minute was the final straw.

“Whether it’s puck decisions or being a little more responsible when pushing in the offensive zone, there are definitely situations where we could have done things better,” said Laviolette, who was careful not to do that Direct any criticism specifically at Zibanejad. “Offensively, I still think we were on offense. It’s one of those games where you strike out – try to knock them away and create offense, and sometimes you have to cover up and make sure you don’t come back.” Bleed the other way. And these incidents cost us.

Some advantages, but even more disadvantages

The Cuylle-Chytil-Kakko line was New York’s best, as it had been for most of the season.

According to Natural Stat Trick, they were the only one of the four starting trios to finish positively in goals (2-0), shots (9-6) and dangerous scoring chances (3-0). Overall, they have outscored their opponents 11-0 so far this season.

“They were good,” Laviolette said. “It was more of a simple play – more of a simple approach to that line where they got the puck behind the defense, they took advantage of our defensemen, they were able to swing in some pucks from distance and they went in the direction they were.” able to score goals and contribute to creation by simply getting the point shots into the net.

At the other end of this spectrum was the Panarin-Zibanejad-Lafrenière line. They finished with a minus-four rating while combining for an outshot of 9-2 in 8:40 minutes of ice time. Three of those goals conceded were directly attributable to Zibanejad losing the ball.

Laviolette subtly acknowledged those difficulties by swapping Zibanejad for Vincent Trocheck in the third period, saying, “It was just a matter of giving it a different look.”

The fact is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify not returning to this arrangement permanently. Zibanejad has three five-on-five points (one goal and two assists) in 14 games played, with Panarin and Lafrenière also coming under pressure. They were the Rangers’ top two scorers when that line was formed on Nov. 2, but have combined for just three 5-on-5 points in four games since then.

It was similarly difficult for the defensive duo K’Andre Miller/Jacob Trouba, who were minus-three on Tuesday and are now minus-7 in their last four games together.

Seven of the 11 goals the Rangers have allowed at 5-on-5 during this period have come on the ice and are looking increasingly disjointed. Miller in particular has floundered after a fairly promising start to the season alongside Adam Fox.

“It’s not always just a reflection on them,” Laviolette said when asked before the game about the lopsided margins. “The defense is a five-man unit. There are a lot of things that could happen before the puck goes into the net. Right now I’m just trying to give it some time and let it break in and then we can rate it.

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more about his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.

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