One shot in four games: The data that proves Mika Zibanejad’s volume has reached a career-low

Over the last four games of action, Mika Zibanejad has just one shot on goal, and that's something that should be a major concern for the New York Rangers and their fans. Through 13 games in December, Zibanejad has just 26 shots, and three goals with one of those tallies coming on the power play. He's a player, who according to the data, has one of the best shots on the roster, but for whatever reason he's not deciding to use it.

Diving into Zibanejad's shooting slump

Zibanejad had a slow start to the season in October with just six points, but he had four goals on 39 shots which equates to a shot rate of 3.25 per game. He was looking for opportunities to shoot, taking them, and the puck just wasn't finding the back of the net.

Things improved in November, as Zibanejad ended the month with five goals, eight assists, and 13 points in 15 games. He took 43 shots on goal, but his shot rate dipped down to 2.87. Four of Zibanejad's goals came on the power play, and it was clear that special teams played a role in him getting back into a groove.

So far in December, Zibanejad has reverted back to being a facilitator, and he's shying away from taking shots even though J.T. Miller is out of the lineup.

As mentioned in the beginning, he's got 26 shots in 13 games thus far, and that factors out to 2.00 shots per game, which is a huge red flag.

Through the first six games of the month, Zibanejad had 18 shots on goal which factors out to 3.00 shots per game. Over the last seven games he has seven shots on goal which is 1.00 shots per game, and here's how that stands out in the larger context of his Rangers' tenure.

It has become clear that Zibanejad's woes aren't a case of bad luck, he's making a choice to be more of a passer and not a goal scorer.

Zibanejad has a gift, he needs to use it more

It is a bit baffling, because Zibanejad is a talented hockey player with a shot that can be quite impactful. His shot speed is in the 99th percentile according to NHL EDGE (96.39 MPH). He has eight shots between 90 and 100 MPH, 20 shots between 80 and 90 MPH, and 21 between 70 and 80 MPH.

In the past Zibanejad was criticized for being a bit of a floater and not wanting to play defense. This season he's covering a lot of ground on the ice with a 129.20 miles of total skating distance which puts him in the 98th percentile of players. On the season as a whole, NHL EDGE has Zibanejad in the 90th percentile for total high danger chances, the 85th percentile for mid range chances, and the 97th percentile for long range chances.

It is crucial for Zibanejad and Rangers to get back on track

Something has changed recently, and if the Rangers want their offense to start scoring goals, they need players like Zibanejad getting involved. This is not to say that his assists aren't appreciated, but he seemed to get in a groove in November, and that's looking more like a mirage.

It is possible that there's a correlation between his drought and the Rangers' power play woes. Seven of his 12 goals have come on the power play this year, and with the 5v4 unit struggling, his lack of goals makes sense. But even with that said, he's getting more than enough playing time at 5v5 to generate chances, and without Miller he doesn't have to defer. The funny thing is that he's shooting 12% this month which is up from the 11.6% he shot in November, and the 10.3% in October. But because Zibanejad's volume is down, neither he or the Rangers are benefitting.