There has been a noticeable difference in Mika Zibanejad's performances throughout this series as the Florida Panthers continue to shut him down Which has left the coaching staff and the fan base becoming restless with the lack of production.
This can be typical for any star player on the rosters that remain as playoff hockey shuts down the lanes and makes the ice smaller so star players like Zibanejad cannot have the room they did in the regular season.
It's up to the player to figure out how to find the room so they can put the puck on the net and potentially score a few goals. His decision making has also been in question, and it seems that he is aware of what he needs to do to make the adjustments to be better.
Through four games of this series, he has not had any points and is a - 3 which is a stark contrast compared to the other series he has played where he was a dominant force. Other stars like Chris Kreider also have been struggling in this series as he has had no points as well.
It's clear that head coach Peter Laviolette will need to make changes going into Game 5 and may need to change his lines to spark Kreider and Zibanejad to get them going.
The series now switches back to MSG end it will take place on May 30th. Game time will be 8:00 PM eastern.
POLL | ||
MAI 29 | 214 ANSWERS New York Rangers star forward under fire for recent performances Will Laviolette help Zibanejad re-ignite his offense? | ||
Yes | 162 | 75.7 % |
No | 52 | 24.3 % |
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