from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Listen, if the Rangers are going to have a chance to remain relevant in the playoff chase, it is imperative that Zibanejad produces. No team can survive with a washout season from its first-line center. The Blueshirts, who were carried offensively last year by the Zibanejad-Artemi Panarin Dynamic Duo, certainly won’t be able to hang in if No. 93 continues putting up zeroes. That is true whether or not Panarin, limited to one shift on the power play in the third period after suffering some sort of lower body injury late in the second after getting tangled up on the boards with Chris Wagner, is down for any length of time.

That is not overblowing the situation regarding Zibanejad, who has all of three points (1-2) on the year. Neither is it overblowing his significance to the operation.

David Quinn, who earlier in the day had mounted a defense of his centerman, was pleased indeed with Zibanejad’s play in this one through which he and his line held its own in the match against the Bergeron-Marchand-David Pastrnak trio

“Tonight, for sure, was the guy we saw last year in a lot of ways,” said the coach. “He did a great job defensively, with his body, was on the puck and got great scoring chances.

“He wanted it and had a swagger to him tonight.”

more and Brooks even gave me a chuckle with this....

There was more than a fair amount of good stuff throughout the evening, but not enough of it to generate a victory at the Garden. It was 3-2, B’s in overtime, when the basket-hanging Brad Marchand beat Georgiev on a breakaway...