Rangers’ Mika Zibanejad confident he’ll be contributing to playoff push

GREENBURGH — Mika Zibanejad was asked if his experience at the just completed 4 Nations Face-off tournament translates into the season’s final furlong.

Sitting at his stall, facing a small semi-circle of reporters, Zibanejad took a moment before answering in his quiet, thoughtful, introspective way.

The words that followed had to be heartening for anyone associated with the Rangers.

“Obviously I got some energy coming from there,” Zibanejad said following a half-hour practice Friday afternoon at the MSG Training Center. “I think the way I’ve been playing before the tournament and the way I played in the tournament — the two games I played — was good and I’m going to keep going.”

As the Rangers (27-24-4, 58 points) resume their season this weekend in a back-to-back against the Sabres and Penguins in Buffalo and Pittsburgh they find themselves four points behind Ottawa for the first wild card spot and trail Detroit by three points for the final berth.

But it’s not simply a matter of catching the Senators and Red Wings. The Rangers will also have to pass the Blue Jackets and Bruins (60 points apiece) while holding off the Islanders (57 points) and the triumvirate of Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia (55 points each).

In order to accomplish all of those tasks and qualify for the Stanley Cup Ppayoffs for the fourth straight season, a productive Zibanejad will be vital. The 31-year-old is fourth on the team with 37 points in 55 games. Zibanejad’s 11 goals rank sixth on the Rangers, and his 26 assists are third-most.

By all accounts, it has not been the kind of campaign he or the Rangers plotted out prior to the start of the season. However, as Zibanejad noted, he has played well since the start of the calendar year.

In the 19 games the Rangers have played in 2025, Zibanejad has recorded five goals and 11 assists for 19 points. Not coincidentally, the Rangers have an 11-5-3 record in those games.

And in the five games that the Rangers have played following the Jan. 31 trade for J.T. Miller, Zibanejad has a slashline of two goals and six assists for eight points, with 15 shots on goal and a 13.3 percent shooting percentage.

“You’d certainly like to see him pick up where he left off,” coach Peter Laviolette said. “He was certainly playing well for us and you think with that comes a little bit of confidence.”

Which neatly coincides with Laviolette making Zibanejad the right wing on the top line with Miller and Artemi Panarin for four games before having him center the third line with Chris Kreider and Arthur Kaliyev in the 4-3 win over the Blue Jackets on Feb. 8, their final game before the pause.

Which is why Laviolette would not commit one way or the other when asked if Zibanejad is a full-time right wing or is entrenched at center. Zibanejad played center for Sweden in the Four Nations tournament, recording a goal and averaging 18:26 of ice time in two games.

“The fact that he can move either way gives us options,” Laviolette said.

Notes & quotes: Laviolette reaffirmed the four Rangers who played for Team USA in the championship game against Canada — Miller, Adam Fox, Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck — will meet the team in Buffalo. However, the coach does not believe he will have to monitor the foursome’s minutes following the tournament. “Full go,” Laviolette said.