The look on Mika Zibanejad’s face in the moment — as he skated toward the boards after Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson robbed him from just outside the crease in the third period — said it all, with his head tilted to the left and a look of disbelief stretched across his face.
The tone of his answers minutes after the fourth consecutive Rangers loss at the Garden to open the season did, too.
When asked if it’s dangerous for the Blueshirts to keep saying at least they’re getting chances if they’re not getting goals, Zibanejad’s answer included, “I honestly don’t know what else to do.”
Then, when asked how the Rangers can create better puck luck, Zibanejad, in part, asked, “Do you have a better idea than what we’re doing right now?” Those moments that strayed from the typically stoic and calm — and longest-tenured — Blueshirt served as hints of mounting frustration from their early season offensive woes, even as head coach Mike Sullivan insisted after their 3-1 loss Monday that there isn’t a disconnect on offense.
“I mean, we just have to keep going,” Zibanejad said, when asked about the puck luck. “… Like I don’t know, it’s frustrating, and I understand that you guys gotta ask the questions, but we have to bear down on chances. I have to score on that one [in the third period]. It’s simple.
“Do I want to [score]? Yeah, but I’m not scoring on that chance.”
Zibanejad, with two goals and a pair of assists through eight games, has been a bright spot for the Rangers so far, and he produced two additional high-danger chances against Minnesota, according to Natural Stat Trick. His Blueshirts future wasn’t guaranteed at the end of last season even with his full no-move clause, with another coach taking over and the long-standing core gradually getting broken up, but Sullivan made it a priority to ensure Zibanejad remained a key piece of what transpired and even traveled to Sweden to visit Zibanejad in June — and so far, the dividends from that investment have been evident.
But that doesn’t mean Zibanejad has been immune from the struggles. There was the moment Monday where Zibanejad just couldn’t flip the puck past Gustavsson’s glove.
He hasn’t collected a five-on-five goal this season, and despite already collecting 19 high-danger chances — which puts him on pace to shatter his 72 from an 82-game campaign last year — through the Rangers’ opening stretch, Zibanejad hasn’t been able to turn more of those into goals.
“I have to score,” Zibanejad said when asked about the danger of settling for chances instead of goals. “Yes, I understand that, but I’m getting to the chance. I’d be more worried if we didn’t get any chances, if I don’t get that chance, if we don’t get those chances. It’s frustrating for us. It’s frustrating for me.”
The chagrin wasn’t limited to just Zibanejad in the aftermath of Monday’s loss, either.
Captain J.T. Miller rued two chances he missed — which he said should’ve resulted in a 2-1 advantage for the Rangers and would’ve allowed them to play with a lead — while defenseman Adam Fox said it’s disappointing because they seemed to turn a corner Saturday with four goals, and because they still remain winless at the Garden.
They’ve scored 15 goals across four road games and just one during four home games. The Blueshirts lead the NHL with an expected goals for of 16.97, according to Natural Stat Trick, and have generated the second-most high-danger chances for in the league (80) behind the Penguins (83).
Sullivan, when asked about the potential disconnect, said the Blueshirts have still “played extremely well and [are] generating a specific amount of offense” with the exception of the season-opening loss to Pittsburgh, and the analytics support that.
“We didn’t get rewarded for it on some nights,” Sullivan said, “but it wasn’t a case of disconnect or not getting looks. I didn’t think we got as many looks tonight, but we didn’t play as well. That’s different. So the narrative is very different tonight than it’s been in the last couple of weeks.”
Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
Still, even after Artemi Panarin scored 57 seconds into Monday’s game to snap their scoreless drought at home to open the season, the concerning trend returned when the Rangers couldn’t generate anything else the rest of the game.
After the Rangers’ third consecutive shutout at home to start the year last week, Zibanejad said he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, and six days later, his tone shifted to distraught.
To frustration entering their latest chance to reverse this trajectory, with a home game against the Sharks on Thursday.
To a glimpse of emotion that captured just how much this scoring rut has perhaps begun to weigh on the Rangers.
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