Mika Zibanejad had one of the most productive weeks of his career for the New York Rangers and for that, he’s taking home some hardware.
New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad has been named the NHL’s 2nd Star of The Week.
#NYR Mika Zibanejad named the @NHL's ⭐️⭐️ of the Week!
Last week Mika led the NHL in goals and game-winning goals (GWG in all three games), and ranked second in the NHL in points with 7. pic.twitter.com/waC10z4v0O
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) January 21, 2019
Zibanejad had a big week for the resurgent Rangers scoring seven points in four games including five goals in his last three games. He had the game-winning goal all three Rangers wins as they headed into their bye week.
On top of that, he also scored a powerplay goal and an even strength game in two games this week.
This past week, the 25-year-old continued to show ho the Rangers made the right decision in asking for him from the Ottawa Senators when they traded Derick Brassard for him prior to the 2016-17 season.
His time in New York has seen him emerge as one of the top centers the game has to offer, while Brassard has struggled to produce at the same consistent rate he did with the Rangers.
Zibanejad finished the first half of the season leading the Rangers in points (44) and is just three points shy of his season total of points last season. He is also on pace to break his career high in points in 2015-16 when he scored 51 points playing with the Ottawa Senators.
The biggest difference for Zibanejad this season is that he has been able to stay healthy and play in every game the Blueshirts have had. His first two seasons with New York were all cut short due to the injury bug. He has yet to play in all 82 games on the NHL schedule in his career.
With the bye week, Mika Zibanejad will get to rest up and heal from whatever small nagging injuries a hockey player gets and perhaps he can come back better than what he already is.
