Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin Are Back and Better Than Ever
Photo Credit: Wendell Cruz / USA TODAY Sports
Six points.
That was how many combined points Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin scored in last year’s playoffs. While that point total isn’t too outlandish considering that the New York Rangers only played in seven games before they lost in the first round, it sill sparked a lot of controversy. For two players who are probably the most skilled on the team, and get paid huge contracts, fans’ wanted to see a lot more out of them come playoff time; yet that didn’t happen.
Flash forward to the summer of 2023, and people were having serious conversations about not wanting these two guys on the team this season; mostly due to their performance in the playoffs. However, Zibanejad and Panarin quickly quieted those critics as they were the driving factors in the New York Rangers sweeping the Washington Capitals in the first round of the 2024 NHL Playoffs.
Photo Credit: SNY
Mika Zibanejad has faced a lot of backlash throughout the entirety of the 2023-24 season. Scoring 26 goals and 72 points this year, many people thought that his performance in the regular season was just an extension off how bad he played in last year’s playoffs. Through four games of the playoffs, Zibanejad has now scored 7 points (one goal and six assists), as fans are now back on his side. Compared to how he played against the New Jersey Devils last season, with one goal and three assists in seven games, that is a massive step up.
The thing to point out with Zibanejad is that he can do everything and anything on the ice. While most people focus on his lack of scoring, he makes up for it with his 200-foot play. Great passing, defending, as well as being a huge factor on the power play and penalty kill, are what make him the elite player that he is. Now that his scoring is back to where it should be, he is maybe one of the most complete players in this year’s Stanley Cup race.
Artemi Panarin faced more scrutiny after last year’s playoffs than Zibanejad did. While Zibanejad had four points in seven games, Panarin only had two (two assists). For being the third highest paid player in the league, and a guy that consistently puts up 90+ points every season, he obviously needed to have a bigger impact when it mattered most.
Everyone knows how good of a regular season Panarin had with the Rangers. Scoring 120 points, which includes 49 goals, he should be one of the finalists for the Hart Trophy. However, there was a little doubt in the back of many Rangers fans heads that said, “but can he do that in the playoffs?”
His three points in four games doesn’t sound that exciting on paper, but his presence on the ice is what makes him so valuable. He scored two goals in the series against the Capitals, which is two more than anybody can say about last year; as one of those even happened to be the series-winning goal in game four. Speaking more on his presence on the ice this year compared to last, he is playing a much more physical game. For a guy that is considered an “elite playmaker”, his checking ability leaves a lot to be desired. That wasn’t the case in game two when he laid a surprising hit on T.J. Oshie.
With Zibanejad and Panarin now playing their best possible hockey, New York’s Stanley Cup chances have skyrocketed. With 10 points in four games against Washington, compared to six points in seven games against New Jersey in 2023, the Rangers star players are back.
It is still very early in New York’s expected playoff run, but with these two playing the way that they are, the Rangers might just be the scariest team in the playoffs.