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."