Editor’s note: This story was updated with the latest on Mika Zibanejad’s situation.
This is a great week for New York Rangers hockey. They finally get to play the Islanders, their arch rivals, in the third game to be played at the brand new UBS Arena. Then, in the annual NHL Thanksgiving Showdown, they take on the Bruins on national television. But they need to focus on the next game, Sunday’s match with the Buffalo Sabres.
They thought that they might have had to do it without Mika Zibanejad. He was not at practice Saturday and the Rangers tweeted out that it was due to the COVID protocol.
UPDATE: Mika Zibanejad (COVID-19 protocol related absence) will not participate in practice today.
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) November 20, 2021
It turns out that it was a false positive test and he is cleared to play on Sunday…whew!
About the Sabres
The Sabres won’t be a pushover. They’ve had an incredibly tough schedule, playing their last five games against Washington, Edmonton, Toronto, Pittsburgh and Calgary and they came out of it with wins against the Oilers and Penguins. They started the season hot, winning five of their first seven games and are tied for fifth place in the Atlantic Division with the Bruins with a 7-7-2 record (they’ve played three fewer games than Boston).
Ironically, they played the best this season while the Jack Eichel issue was front and center. Once Eichel was traded to Vegas, they’ve won only two of seven games. Of course, the two players the Sabres got in exchange are not playing for them with Peyton Krebs in the AHL and Alex Tuch out until January after shoulder surgery.
This game will be a test of Gerard Gallant’s ability to motivate the team. The Rangers were badly outplayed by the Flames in their first game home after a long road trip in October. They were much better in the second game that could have been a letdown, when they beat Florida earlier this month after another first game home after a long road trip.
No matter how you look at it, the team has to be looking ahead to their games with the Islanders and Bruins. We’ve seen the Rangers take teams they should beat for granted and hopefully they learned a lesson from the Montreal game that they won, but were sorely challenged in the third period.
It would be nice for the Rangers to win a laugher. They have played 12 one-goal games out of their first 17. The great news is that they have taken 19 out of 24 points in those 12 games (8-1-3). We are including games with empty net goals as one-goal games.
They suffered blowout losses to Washington and twice to Calgary and they were able to beat Columbus by four goals in their only big win of the season. The memories of their 9-0 and 8-3 wins over Philadelphia last season are fading fast. Circle December 1 on your calendars as the date that Flyers come to the Garden.
So, the Rangers are due for a big win and a breakout game for the offense. It would be nice to get it against the Sabres because they are not going to get it on Long Island.
Friday’s game won’t be any easier. The NHL Thanksgiving Showdown series began in 2011 and the Rangers have played in six of the eight games including three against the Bruins. They have lost all three times, all on the road, with the last an overtime loss in 2019.
The key is to take this week one game at a time and get the first one out of the way.