Panarin, Zibanejad feel 'pressure' to score for Rangers entering Game 5
New York top forwards without goal against Devils in tied East 1st Round
Was the forward, who led the New York Rangers with 39 goals this season, feeling the heat with the Rangers having lost two straight at home and the best-of-7 Eastern Conference First Round tied heading into Game 5 on Thursday?
"I feel the pressure, but I think the pressure comes from within," Zibanejad told NHL.com after practice Wednesday. "One thing is for certain I know these questions are going to come. It doesn't matter if I'm a great guy, if I'm a bad guy, whatever happens or whatever type of communications I've had with you or with someone else, those questions are going to come.
"But at the same time I try not to make that big of a deal of it. Obviously, that's just the way it goes. When we don't win and certainly when we don't score then it's obviously going to be pointed at that we're not doing enough offensively. In a way it's a privilege to have that role. Yeah, the pressure mounts up to it and the pressure is on, but at the same time any player no matter what wants that situation, you want it to be in your hands."
Artemi Panarin is feeling it too. The forward led the Rangers with 92 points (29 goals, 63 assists) in the regular season, and like Zibanejad, has no goals in the series. They each have one point at even strength and one on the power play.
It wasn't an issue in Games 1 and 2 when the Rangers won each game 5-1 with forwards Chris Kreider (four goals), Vladimir Tarasenko (two goals), Filip Chytil, Patrick Kane and Kaapo Kakko and defenseman Ryan Lindgren doing the scoring.
But the Rangers lost Games 3 and 4 at home, scoring a total of two goals - from Kreider and Vincent Trocheck -- and just like that the spotlight is on their top two goal-scorers.
Game 5 is at Prudential Center on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; ESPN2, SN360, TVAS2, MSGSN, MSG).
"I've got to score somehow," Panarin said in a separate interview with NHL.com. "In the regular season maybe it's the same thing, just have to try 100 percent and things will probably go well if you keep trying. Sometimes it doesn't happen. But right now, I can't panic or think too much about it. We have three more games, or two more games, so we have a chance. New Jersey is a pretty good team, but we can beat them."
RELATED: [Complete Devils vs. Rangers series coverage]
It'll be harder if Zibanejad and Panarin remain quiet, particularly at 5-on-5. It'll be next to impossible if the Rangers score one goal per game, as they did in the past two.
"There's more than [them], but we definitely need more," Rangers coach Gerard Gallant said. "For me, it's the top six forwards, they've got to be a lot better. There has to be more production. In this business as we all know it's not what you've done yesterday it's what you're going to do the next game and that's how you've got to be. You can't worry about you've got two goals in the last three games. Our top guys have to be a lot better. They know that. I know that. Hopefully they'll play a lot better next game."
Zibanejad and Panarin are familiar with this situation. Each were in it at separate times in the playoffs last year.
Zibanejad was held to no goals and four assists through five games in the first round against the Pittsburgh Penguins. But then he had four points (two goals, two assists) in Game 6 and another three (goal, two assists) in Game 7. The Rangers won the series and reached the Eastern Conference Final with Zibanejad leading them with 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists).
Panarin scored the Game 7 winner in overtime against the Penguins but followed it with no goals and two assists through five games in the second round against the Carolina Hurricanes. But then he scored in Game 6 and assisted on the game-winner in Game 7.
"I think I've proven to myself over the years what I'm capable of doing," Zibanejad said. "Last year, similar questions came up in the first series against Pittsburgh and one goal changes everything for me. I've had chances. I'd be more worried if I didn't have any chances at all. I'm sure with the players I'm playing with and the situations I'm being put in one will eventually go in and then we know what can happen after that."
Panarin has the same feeling.
"Keep shooting and someday the puck will go in," he said. "I hope tomorrow."
With their track records, they're right to feel like they'll break through in Game 5. It's not blind optimism.
But saying and doing are different, and the Rangers need action from Zibanejad and Panarin in Game 5.
"Just because you want it and just because you like [the pressure] doesn't mean you're always going to be successful," Zibanejad said. "We're still playing against good players, a good team. For me it's just about trusting myself, get back to basics, maybe simplify a few things and just keep shooting, keep putting myself in the spots, be a little more selfish in certain situations without losing my head about scoring, scoring, scoring because that's what the questions are about.
"I can't lose my head about that and try to cheat for offense and let everything up on the other end. But it's part of it and I can't do anything more than just go out there and do my best. If my best is not good enough for that day, I can't control that. I can't control the outcome of it. I can control my work ethic, my intentions and what I do out there. Obviously, I want to score, I want to help the team, I want us to win. I'll continue doing that as much as I can."
