Zibanejad Rangers 4 Nations

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Mika Zibanejad was honored, excited and even a tad relieved on June 28 when he was one of the first six players named to the Team Sweden roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

"It gives you more excitement looking forward to it knowing you're going to be playing in it," the New York Rangers center told NHL.com on Monday. "I've been excited since I got the call this summer. I'm really looking forward to it."

Those feelings Zibanejad first experienced in June never went away, but a month ago they were buried deep under suffocating pressure and frustration that at the time appeared to be getting the better of him and the Rangers -- each slumping, each wondering about their future.

They're back now, that tinge of excitement in his voice, the speed in his play, some confidence, it's present when you talk to, listen to and watch the 31-year-old.

Zibanejad's feeling about his game and the Rangers’ play as a team in the past month is close to 180 degrees different from where he and they were mentally back in December.

After going 4-15-0 from Nov. 21-Dec. 30, the Rangers, albeit losers of two in a row after a 10-game point streak (7-0-3), have played their way back into the Stanley Cup Playoff race in the Eastern Conference heading into a nationally televised showdown against the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS).

"Better," Zibanejad said. "Better since 2025 started. I have felt more like my game is coming more and more. I wish there was a little bit more results from some of the plays we've been making, getting rewarded for that. There's been a bunch of chances most of the games, but overall, it's been better and I'm happy that it's trending that way."

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      NYR@MTL: Zibanejad nets PPG from a distance

      The top brass from Sweden's national team is too. They immediately identified Zibanejad as one of their most important forwards for the 4 Nations Face-Off. The decision looked dicey in the first half of the season.

      "For us that follow Mika not just this year you know he's a player that puts a lot of pride and responsibility on the ice," Sweden coach Sam Hallam said. "I know he can feel he has a good game even if he's not putting up points in the game. I think that was the case sometimes in the first 20-30 games this year. Maybe he didn't produce, but he tried to do the right things. But I also agree that we can say from just before Christmas up until now he looks a bit more relaxed, a bit quicker, it's just obvious he's playing the game and not thinking too much. That's a good sign for us."

      Let's not go crazy here. Zibanejad isn't back to being the 39-goal scorer he was two seasons ago (he had 26 goals in 81 games last season). He has one goal in the past 12 games and nine on the season. There are still some turnover issues. At times maybe he defers too much.

      But it's obvious to the naked eye that he's playing with purpose again and what he believes is also a more defined role.

      The Rangers’ turnaround in the past month has featured Zibanejad as the center on the line coach Peter Laviolette tasks with going head-to-head against the opponent's best. His wings of late have been Reilly Smith and Will Cuylle.

      They've handled and limited top NHL players like Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Travis Konecny and Brady Tkachuk, who will all be playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off.

      "I think this year, and I'm talking 2025, so this month, it's been more of that, more targeted to getting those minutes against the top lines," Zibanejad said. "You look at two years ago, three years ago, four years ago, that was kind of my role and still expected to be able to produce offense. I like that challenge. It excites me. It does. I think it's fun. In a way you feel important because you're getting that assignment. You feel like not only do I believe in myself to go up against that matchup, even though I know it's going to be hard going against some of the top players in this league in this sport in the world, but it's a fun challenge and that drives me. You get confidence from the team too that they feel that I can handle it. I like it."

      Although it's pick-your-poison in a best-on-best tournament, different than it is on a typical night in the NHL regular season, Hallam still could put Zibanejad into that role when Sweden opens the 4 Nations Face-Off against Canada and MacKinnon, Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby at Bell Centre on Feb. 12 (8 p.m. ET; MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS).

      "Mika can center a line with our top offensive wingers and we still feel we can start them in the defensive zone," Hallam said. "I think we're going to utilize Mika the way he plays on the Rangers, big for us on both sides. He's going to be out there against the best players but we expect him to use his ability to win the puck and go north and create offense. That's how Mika is. I'm very confident in him in that role."

      The production part of Zibanejad's game has to come or Sweden could struggle in the 4 Nations Face-Off and the Rangers (24-22-4) will struggle to climb all the way back into a playoff position after a woeful first three months of the season when it seemed whatever could go wrong for the center did.

      He was a minus-22 with 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in the 36 games through Dec. 31. He was on the ice for 37 even strength goals against, a tick more than one per game.

      Zibanejad had the worst rating among all Rangers forwards in even strength shot attempts for and against at minus-76. That was tied for 296 out of 323 forwards who had played in at least 30 games at that point.

      "I mean, ask anyone who has been working for 13-14 years at their job if they never had three months of a bad time," Zibanejad said. "The difference is it's public and people have opinions about it so it's going to be talked about. That's a part of it. Yes, sometimes maybe it's difficult to deal with that and have to answer questions about my job. There's a lot of different variables too. Everybody knows what we're making. Everybody knows our age."

      That's his reality. No excuses. But Zibanejad has been around long enough to know three months doesn't make a career.

      He's just hoping it doesn't ruin his season.

      A chance to do something special with his national team at the 4 Nations Face-Off and a possible playoff push coming out of it could change everything.

      "There's very, very few people that can go through a whole career being close to great all the time," Zibanejad said. "Those were the three months for me. The only thing I'm not allowing myself to do is doubt myself. Just work through it."