Zibanejad's six-point period ties NHL record, lifts Rangers past Flyers

NEW YORK -- Mika Zibanejad tied an NHL record by scoring six points during a seven-goal second period in the New York Rangers' 9-0 win against the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

Zibanejad scored a natural hat trick and had three assists to join former New York Islanders center Bryan Trottier as the only players to score six points in a period of an NHL game. Trottier did it against the Rangers with three goals and three assists on Dec. 23, 1978.
The three goals on four shots matched Zibanejad's goal output on 76 shots through his first 27 games. The center scored 41 goals in 57 games last season.
"Everyone is going to go back to last season and the expectation is obviously higher, but if the puck doesn't want to go in it doesn't want to go in," Zibanejad said. "I've been trying to get myself through this and it hasn't been easy, but it is what it is. It's one game, but I feel like the game just overall has been feeling a little bit better for the past little bit here. Production is a big part of it when you get the ice time I've been getting and the role that I have, but as long as we keep winning then I'm happy."
Alexandar Georgiev had a 26-save shutout after being pulled in his previous two starts. Pavel Buchnevich scored four points (two goals, two assists) after missing the game Monday, a 5-4 overtime loss against the Flyers, because he was on the NHL COVID-19 protocol list.

Flyers goalie Brian Elliott was pulled at 7:30 of the second period after allowing his five goals on 13 shots. Carter Hart replaced him and allowed four goals on 16 shots.
Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers were each minus-6 for the Flyers (14-10-3).
"No doubt that we weren't good tonight," Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said. "We couldn't defend and couldn't make a play. Got truly embarrassed."
The Rangers (12-12-4) played without coach David Quinn and assistants Jacques Martin, David Oliver and Greg Brown, who were unavailable due to NHL COVID-19 protocol guidelines.
Kris Knoblauch, coach of Hartford of the American Hockey League, the Rangers affiliate, filled in for Quinn. Hartford associate coach Gord Murphy and Rangers associate general manager Chris Drury were on the bench as assistants.
Knoblauch said he was on the ice running practice in Hartford when he found out he might have to travel to New York to coach the Rangers.
"It happens very quickly," Knoblauch said. "Getting the call at 11:30 that you might be. I rush home and pack. Initially it was going to be one game, but then they're like, 'Well, you might be going on the road trip,' so then you pack extra. Really, you didn't have much time to think about it. Everything was laid out for us by the coaching staff and when the game started there are some nerves, definitely some excitement, but then you've got to get into game mode, coach mode. It's certainly a night that I'll never forget."
Brendan Lemieux scored at 7:05 of the first period to make it 1-0. Artemi Panarin made it 2-0 at 14:47.
The Rangers then scored seven goals in the second period, one shy of the team record for most goals in a period, set Nov. 21, 1971 against the California Golden Seals.
"It was surreal," Georgiev said. "I obviously tried to focus on my job during the game, but you could not ignore how unbelievable the guys were playing."
Zibanejad had assists on each of the first three goals in the second.
He stole the puck from Myers behind the net and set up Buchnevich for a wrist shot from above the left hash marks at 1:38 for a 3-0 lead.
Buchnevich made it 4-0 two minutes later, when his attempted pass to Chris Kreider went in off Myers' right skate. Zibanejad started the play by winning the offensive zone face-off.
Trouba made it 5-0 at 7:30 off a pass from Zibanejad.
Zibanejad's first goal came on a shorthanded breakaway at 8:27 to make it 6-0. It was the first shot Hart faced.
He scored on the power play at 14:29 to make it 7-0, and at even strength at 18:37 to make it 8-0.
"His stat line says enough," Knoblauch said. "Looked like a guy that has added a lot of confidence. He was playing very similar to what I recognized from him last year."

Filip Chytil scored the Rangers' seventh goal of the period at 19:39 for the 9-0 final.
"I don't know what to tell you, it's embarrassing the way we played," Flyers captain Claude Giroux said. "The effort has to be better. It's not one or two guys, it's everybody's got to be better. That's all I got to say."
NOTES: Rangers defenseman Adam Fox assisted on Lemieux's goal and was a plus-3 in 18:49 of ice time after missing the game Monday because he was on the COVID-19 protocol list. … The nine goals are the most in a game by one team in the NHL this season. … The Rangers last scored at least nine goals in a game on Nov. 10, 1998, when they won 10-2 at the Tampa Bay Lightning. … Zibanejad is the first Rangers player to score six points in a game since Mark Messier had six (two goals, four assists) against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Nov. 25, 1992. The Rangers record for points in a game is seven, by Steve Vickers (three goals, four assists), Feb. 18, 1976 in an 11-4 win against the Washington Capitals.