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New York Rangers Stock Market: Streaky play into February

By Jennifer Moglia

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 06: The New York Rangers celebrate after defeating the Boston Bruins 4-3 in the shootout at Madison Square Garden on February 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 06: The New York Rangers celebrate after defeating the Boston Bruins 4-3 in the shootout at Madison Square Garden on February 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 06: Boston Bruins Goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) stops New York Rangers Center Mika Zibanejad (93) the shoot out of an Eastern Conference match-up Between the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers on February 06, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 06: Boston Bruins Goalie Jaroslav Halak (41) stops New York Rangers Center Mika Zibanejad (93) the shoot out of an Eastern Conference match-up Between the Boston Bruins and the New York Rangers on February 06, 2019, at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by David Hahn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Up: Mika Zibanejad

This one shouldn’t come as a surprise. Mika Zibanejad has been playing like a man possessed lately, and New York Rangers fans definitely aren’t complaining about it.

This week, he had nine points in six games, an average of 1.5 points per game. Against the Devils, he had four points including three goals for his first hat trick as a Ranger, and an assist on the only other goal in the game, scored by Chris Kreider.

Yup, you heard that correctly; Zibanejad contributed to all four goals scored by the Rangers against New Jersey. He had two assists against the Lightning, one goal and one assist for two points against the Kings, and one goal against the Bruins.  In fact, in the Kings game he set a team record by having a point in ten straight goals scored by the Blueshirts.

He was also named the NHL’s third star of the week on February 3rd. Zibanejad leads the Rangers in multiple categories, with the most points (53) and assists (31) on the team.

He has the second-most goals on the squad (22), just two behind Kreider’s 24. The forward has officially passed a few of his career-highs as well.

His previous career high for points was 51 with the Ottawa Senators during the 2015-2016 season, which he has surpassed by two so far. The center’s 31 assists pass his previous benchmark of 30, established in that same campaign.

Plus, with just five more goals, he will match his career high for goals, set last year in his second full season as a Blueshirt. The best part?

There are still 28 games left in this season. If he continues at this pace, he will definitely set new career highs in all offensive categories, miles above his previous benchmarks, and will lead the team in scoring for the first time.

Mika Zibanejad serves as a reminder of just how great the Derick Brassard trade was for the New York Rangers. With any luck, the 25-year-old will most likely be a big part of helping this team win after the rebuild.

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