The New York Rangers are one of the Original Six teams in the NHL, alongside the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, and Toronto Maple Leafs. That means, like their five counterparts, they have a lengthy history of legendary players, numerous championships, and various records set. When players join the Rangers, they do look forward to cementing themselves alongside some of the franchise greats, whether it's Rod Gilbert, Brian Leetch, Mark Messier, and Henrik Lundqvist. As is the case when it comes to New York professional sports, it's hard to shine when the lights are brightest.
One player who does fly under the radar when it comes to his standing across the NHL and even on the Rangers, is Mika Zibanejad. Back in 2016, the Rangers made the move to acquire Zibanejad from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Derrick Brassard. It was easily one of the Rangers' best trades in recent memory, given the value they've received in Zibanejad, who has been one of their top scorers on a yearly basis. Due to this, Zibanejad has etched his name among one of the great Rangers players in recent history.
That was solidified on March 5, 2020.
Mika Zibanejad ties Rangers' single-game goals record on March 5, 2020
That night, the Rangers hosted the Washington Capitals in Madison Square Garden. Little did fans know was that they were about to witness Zibanejad do something that hasn't been done since 1983 — score five goals in a single game.
Before that night, only two Rangers had set the record for most goals scored in a single game. Winger Don Murdoch did so back on Oct. 12, 1976 in the Rangers' 10-4 win over the Minnesota North Stars. On Feb. 23, 1983, center Mark Pavelich tied Murdoch's record in the Rangers' 11-3 win over the Hartford Whalers.
The thing is, Murdoch and Pavelich accomplished this feat in blowout victories. For Zibanejad, he single-handedly won New York their game against Washington. It was a back-and-forth game between both squads, especially after Zibanejad's first two goals of the game helped the Rangers take a 2-1 lead. Then, it was both teams responding to one another. In the third period, it was Zibanejad going back-and-forth with Alex Ovechkin, as the two stars scored two goals each in that 20-minute stretch. In fact, Ovechkin's overtime-forcing goal came within the final minute of regulation. Of course, Zibanejad played the role of hero, scoring a goal in overtime to clinch the 6-5 victory.
For this performance, Zibanejad is in the Rangers' history books.
Can anyone join Mika Zibanejad to tie single-game goals record?
It's crazy to think that that game was six years ago. No player has gotten close to that. But with the Rangers' roster retooled, could anyone get close to matching Zibanejad's single-game record any time soon?
Obviously, the first name you will look at is Pavel Dorofeyev, the young scoring winger the Rangers traded for on the opening night of the NHL Draft. With an $11 million per year cap hit, Dorofeyev is expected to keep up the production pace he set the past two seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights. He has shown he can score plenty of goals in a single game. This past playoff run with Vegas, Dorofeyev scored a hat trick in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Utah Mammoth. But, he's never scored more than three goals in a game. He's now on a Rangers team that, lets face it, doesn't have the star or scoring power like Dorofeyev is used to during his time in Vegas. But, he's probably their best bet to get close to Zibanejad's record.
Another name that stands out is Gabe Perreault, their 2023 first-round pick who made strides this past season to become a lock for the top six. In fact, he shined on the top line alongside Zibanejad. The Rangers and the fanbase's hope for Perreault to become a face of the franchise for the foreseeable future. He's already received comparisons to Nikita Kucherov in terms of playing style. If Perreault does reach that potential, it wouldn't be a shock if he were to get near "five-goals in a game" territory.
Alexis Lafreniere, considering he was the first-overall pick in 2020, will have expectations of putting up ridiculous single-game numbers. But given his trajectory thus far in his career, it's not likely. He's a solid top six contributor, who shined this past season when lined up with Zibanejad and Perreault. But five goals in a game? That seems unlikely for Lafreniere.
Much like it was before Zibanejad did so in 2020, it may take a long time for Rangers fans to see a player get anywhere near close to five goals scored in a single game.
Add us as a preferred source on Google