Mika Zibanejad struck twice as New York beat Calgary 3-1 on Wednesday.
The New York Rangers beat the Calgary Flames 3-1 on Wednesday, with Mika Zibanejad’s two goals—including a power-play strike—delivering the decisive scoring punch. Zibanejad finished with 2 goals, 2 points, 2 shots, a plus-one and 1 power-play goal; Alexis Lafrenière had 2 assists, 2 points, 2 shots and a plus-one; Adam Klapka recorded Calgary’s lone goal, 1 point, 4 shots, even plus-minus, 1 power-play goal and 6 hits. Calgary outshot New York 31-23, but Joonas Korpisalo stopped 30 of 31 shots for a .968 save percentage, while Devin Cooley made 21 saves on 23 shots for a .913 mark. New York also held a 29-21 edge in hits. The victory moves the Rangers from their listed 10-8-1 record to 11-8-1, while Calgary falls from 8-9-1 to 8-10-1. New York entered ranked 13th in DYMA’s power index at 63.8, ahead of Calgary at 28th with 39.7, and Korpisalo’s performance helped the Rangers make their finishing count despite the shot deficit.
Key Performers
Mika Zibanejad, NYR: 2 G, 0 A, 2 P, 2 shots, +1, 1 PPG, 0 hits. Alexis Lafrenière, NYR: 0 G, 2 A, 2 P, 2 shots, +1, 0 PPG, 1 hit. Adam Klapka, CGY: 1 G, 0 A, 1 P, 4 shots, even, 1 PPG, 6 hits.
Standings Impact
New York improves to 11-8-1 after entering at 10-8-1; Calgary drops to 8-10-1 from 8-9-1.
DYMA Insight
Calgary’s 31-23 shot advantage could not overcome Korpisalo’s .968 save percentage and Zibanejad’s two-goal finish. The result reflects the gap in pregame power index: New York ranked 13th at 63.8, while Calgary was 28th at 39.7.