Mika Zibanejad has been on a heater along with his New York Rangers lately, and that continued during the Swedish star's 800th career National Hockey League game on Wednesday night.
The Rangers easily beat the Washington Capitals in the first game after the Christmas break at Madison Square Garden, and Zibanejad was a big reason why. The 30-year-old registered two assists in the 5-1 victory, bringing him to 35 points in 33 games on the 2023-24 campaign.
Zibanejad helped to create two highlights on the ice, but had another one before the game when asked about what 800 means to him.
“It’s 800 more than I thought I was going to play when I was a kid,” he said with a smile, per NHL.com's Harvey Valentine. “It’s something you only dream of, even just playing one game, and you get the opportunity to do so for that many years. It’s always fun to have those milestones, but it makes it more memorable when you win those games, too.”
Zibanejad has been an impact player his entire career, but has emerged into a superstar with the Rangers over the last five-plus seasons. He had the best full year of his NHL career in 2022-23, scoring 39 goals and 91 points, and looks poised to challenge those totals this year.
The Rangers' top-line center is in the midst of an eight game point streak that was extended against the Capitals. He's amassed seven goals and 15 points in that span.
Zibanejad, K'Andre Miller lead Rangers to victory
Although Zibanejad was excellent in his 800th game, defenseman K'Andre Miller stole the show by scoring two goals and adding an assist in the rout.
“I don’t think I’ve been really playing my best hockey,” he admitted afterwards, per Valentine. “Went into the [holiday] break with just some goals of coming out of the break and doing a little bit more. Luckily the puck found me tonight and [I] was able to capitalize.”
Miller scored his first goal at the 7:03 mark of the second period, tying the game 1-1 on a nice give-and-go play with Zibanejad.
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