Kreider’s shot will go down as his eighth career playoff game-winning goal, the most in franchise history. The Rangers’ 52-goal scorer had looked even less like himself than Zibanejad through the previous three games, not finding space or pucks in front of the opposing net nor doing much in the defensive zone while that line was trying to at least neutralize the Penguins’ top line. When Zibanejad fumbled away a good-looking chance in the opening minutes of Game 6, the word “fun” was likely nowhere near his mind.īut he came to play and broke through. Instead he’d been chasing Crosby’s dust, losing a lot of faceoffs and defending so much that there wasn’t enough time for offense. Zibanejad was hoping to use this first “real” playoff appearance since his first season in New York to cement his place in the NHL as one of the best No. There were no smiles from Zibanejad like we saw from the younger players in Game 5, nor were they smiling when he cranked a one-timer through Domingue’s legs to tie it 76 seconds later. He won the power-play starting faceoff - the Rangers were 4-for-19 on offensive-zone draws in Game 6 - and settled into position for a rocket past Louis Domingue just five seconds in.
That they did it with a quick-strike power-play goal was especially sweet since they came into Game 6 with the fewest power plays (12) of any playoff team.Īnd of course it was Zibanejad. Their ability to not just rally but grab a game by the horns has been the best thing we’ve learned about them. The Rangers looked nervous at the start and nervous in the third in a tie game, trying not to be the first to make a mistake.īut there was another beautiful onslaught in the second, the third such stretch the Rangers have had in the series. 1, Jacob Trouba, who went from being on the ice for all five Rangers goals in Game 5 to being on for all three Penguins goals in Game 6. K’Andre Miller had a tough game, but not nearly as tough as that of public enemy No. Another 2-0 hole, another stretch with the Rangers unable to contain Pittsburgh’s forwards below the hashmarks.
#Big boy boxing game series
It was a strange game in a series chock-full of them. That pass to set up the Rangers’ third goal was pretty top-shelf, though.
#Big boy boxing game full
Igor Shesterkin gets full marks for another strong third period like he had in Game 5, but he still looks nothing like his Hart Trophy-finalist self, giving up at least three goals for the fifth time in the series. Now, this wasn’t a full big-boy game for the Rangers stars. Zibanejad and Kreider had 12 shots on goal between them in a 5-3 Game 6 victory after combining for 29 in the first five games. He did, thanks in large part to the Rangers power play coming to life with two goals. That line even without Crosby did some damage in Game 6, but Zibanejad was freed to try to create more. 1 line of Malkin between Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust. Ryan Strome’s line had matched up mostly against Evgeni Malkin in the prior games, so Gallant gave Strome the assignment of tending to Pittsburgh’s new No. Gerard Gallant was probably able to make an adjustment for Game 6 because Crosby was absent. Zibanejad scored the first two, and Kreider scored the next two, including the oopsy-daisy winner with 88 seconds left in regulation from about 50 feet out.
Game 6 was the dam breaking for Zibanejad and Chris Kreider, who had combined for two goals - both from Kreider in the opening two games of the series - coming into Friday’s latest win-or-go-home game.
Trying to work through it, it’s not easy.” “Maybe the focus has been too much on that.
Maybe a little too worried about the line we’re playing against,” he said. “We haven’t created offense maybe enough. He did try to convince reporters in Pittsburgh that the playoffs are fun, but perhaps he and his linemates were having less of it through five games because they’d been so focused on trying (and failing) to stop Sidney Crosby’s line that the strain was overtaking the fun. “I maybe have a hard time enjoying it as much,” Zibanejad said after a decently long pause. Mika Zibanejad was asked on Friday afternoon about fun - you know, the Rangers’ Kid Line is having fun this postseason what about a more seasoned veteran like Zibanejad?
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