The NHL has annouced that Mika Zibanejad was named the Second Star of the Week.
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From the NHL release:
- Zibanejad scored the winning goal in all three of his appearances, topping the NHL with five total tallies (5-2—7) to propel the Rangers (21-20-7, 49 points) to a perfect week.
- Zibanejad posted 2-2—4, his fourth career four-point performance and third of the season (also Oct. 23 vs. FLA: 2-2—4 and Dec. 29 at NSH: 0-4—4), in a 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes Jan. 15.
- He then scored once, the decisive marker, in a 4-3 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks Jan. 17.
- Zibanejad added two more goals in a 3-2 triumph over the Boston Bruins Jan. 19, making him the second player in the Rangers’ 93-year history to record the winning goal in three consecutive team games (also Rod Gilbert: Dec. 11-17, 1966).
- The 25-year-old Huddinge, Sweden, native leads New York with 27 assists and 44 points in 48 total contests this season (17-27—44) – three points shy of his 72-game output from 2017-18 (27-20—47).
Adam Rotter: What the Rangers are getting from MIka Zibanejad is what they hoped they would when they traded Derick Brassard for him. Zibanejad turns 26 in April and has turned the flashes he has shown in his first two-years as a Ranger into consistent production. Health (knock on wood) has a good amount to do with that but Zibanejad has stepped into the role of being the Rangers number one center, a player they can count on, build around and trust. He is having a terrific season and looks poised to shatter all previous point totals for his career.