Mika Zibanejad was not in the lineup for the New York Rangers’ 5-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues at the Enterprise Center in Missouri on Thursday night, despite reports shortly before puck drop speculating that the star center would play.
Blueshirts coach Peter Laviolette provided an update on the illness that kept one of his best players out of the lineup on Thursday.
“It’s going around from team to team. Morning skate, he was good,” the bench boss explained, per The New York Post’s Mollie Walker. “Just took a turn for the worse right at game time. He was out for warmups [and] we were thinking it was going to be good. He’ll get some rest, he’ll be back.”
Although it’s clear that Zibanejad’s absence won’t be long-term, his club certainly could have used his services in St. Louis. That’s especially true after the Rangers lost their third straight game for the first time in the 2023-24 campaign.
“It’s always good for a team to face some adversity,” Laviolette continued, per The Associated Press’ Warren Mayes. “It’s not always going to go your way. It’s not a bad thing to have to work and get things back on track.”
Rangers going through first rough patch of season
It’s been an incredible first half of the season for the 26-12-2 Rangers, who are facing their first bout of adversity nearly halfway through January. New York has won just two of its last seven games and is 8-8-1 in its last 17 contests after starting the year 18-4-1, per Mayes.
Still, the team remains in first place in the Metropolitan Division, holding a precarious three-point lead over the surging Carolina Hurricanes. And the Rangers remain third in the Eastern Conference, with just three points separating them from the first-place Boston Bruins.
Despite that, it’s been a disappointing few weeks in The Big Apple, and the absence of Zibanejad loomed large on Thursday night. The Rangers were unable to get back in the win column despite directing 42 shots at Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington.
“You put up 40-plus shots in three straight games, you want a little better result to show for it,” asserted star D-man Adam Fox. “You would hope to get a few more goals. It’s still a loss and we’re not happy with it.”
New York will be looking for a better result — ideally with Mika Zibanejad back on the ice — against the Washington Capitals in DC on Saturday afternoon.
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