Mika Zibanejad’s shocking bench could echo Rangers

We’d say the last time something like this happened was when John Tortorella benched Marian Gaborik in the third period of Game 5 of the 2012 Rangers Conference Final against the Devils, except that doing such a thing was pretty much standard operating procedure for the coach. .

Therefore, no shock value there.

This, however, Thursday night in Newark was different. It was different with David Quinn, who for the first time in his three seasons behind the bench knocked the hammer down on one of Rangers’ renowned players by drastically cutting Mika Zibanejad’s ice time in the first half before he sit for the first 10: 46 of the second.

Finally, after weeks of giving Zibanejad the benefit of the doubt that he won not only in the home stretch last season, but through the entirety of the center’s work under Quinn, the coach had seen enough, after another period in which the Swede was a number. on the ice.

And so he sat him down. He sat him down after a rambling 20-minute squad-wide open, in which the Devils were unable to build a 1-0 lead thanks to Igor Shesterkin’s exceptional play in the net, and sat him in the middle of the second, at which the Blueshirts were tied. he 1-1 on Chris Kreider’s power-play goal.

Shock value here, okay.

“I didn’t like his game, I didn’t like what we were seeing – I didn’t like our first half very much – but it’s obvious he had a tough start to the season and maybe do it sitting for a while would give. give him a little shake and give our team a little shake, ”Quinn said after the Blueshirts came back strong for a 6-1 win. “I liked what I saw when he came back.

“I was just going to see how he played, how he competed, how he skated. If I thought I would see an improvement in his play, I was going to continue playing against him and if not, he would continue to sit. This is really what it happened.

It was a game full of headlines. Kreider, on one of his patentees Did. You. See. Chris! streaks, recorded his second hat trick in five games, giving him nine goals in the last six games. Shesterkin, who improved his game over the fortnight, was forced to leave at 5:52 remaining after suffering an apparent injury to his right leg that could force him to miss a period of time. If so, it will have significant ramifications for this 9-9-3 team that has gone 5-2 in the last seven.

But Zibanejad’s bench will have repercussions. You never know how a player as proud as Zibanejad will react to something like this. You also don’t know how his teammates and best friends will react. It must not be forgotten. He was one of the best players in the world last season. He was one of the best centers in the league the year before. And he was benched.

“I think he’s letting the stats and all the pressure slow him down a bit,” Quinn said. “I think it hits him.

“He’s a guy who’s been a fearless player, he’s been a brave player and he’s still a guy who comes into battle but he’s just missing something. We certainly kept trying to let him play his way, he certainly won that opportunity, but for now we have to keep playing the guys who are playing well.

Zibanejad has played with determination during his last 13 shifts and 9:05 of ice, continuing to excel in the kill unit that went 4 for 4 in this one. He was involved, jumped on a loose puck to prepare Alexis Lafreniere for the dart who went 6-1 at 6:27 p.m. third for the first-year sixth point (3-3) in the last six games.

(And, whoa boy, Quinn suddenly got so much better at developing young people, didn’t he?)

Zibanejad’s decline has been shrouded in mystery. Its long-term and large-scale ramifications are striking. But the small-scale ramifications of this benching will also be striking. There is no doubt that his companions are backing him, with Kreider having given unsolicited captain-like testimony in support of his beleaguered friend and colleague. You could almost hear Mark Messier defending Brian Leetch. Almost.

It was an important night for the Rangers and for Quinn, who put a star on the bench and whose team responded with 40 dominant minutes in their wake.

“I think every time you sit down with one of your best players it definitely gives everyone a wake-up call and I just thought we got better as the game progressed,” said the coach. “If it had anything to do with it, I don’t know.

Rangers and Quinn have been waiting for Zibanejad for 20 games. The coach didn’t wait 21. Now we’re all waiting to see how the substitute captain reacts to this.