CALGARY, Alberta — Mika Zibanejad scored one of the biggest goals of his hockey career inside the Scotiabank Saddledome.
There were other notable moments here that followed, like the time he recorded a natural hat trick in 2 minutes, 38 seconds to set a franchise record for the fastest hat trick in Senators history in February 2016.
But the golden goal he scored at 18 years old in overtime for Sweden in the 2012 World Junior Championship to end his country’s 31-year gold medal drought at the tournament was a defining moment of his career.
So to say farewell to the rinky-dink barn in its last season as home to the Flames, Zibanejad did what he does best in this building and scored twice in a 3-1 win.
“Yeah, I don’t mind [playing here],” No. 93 said with a smile. “It’s too bad that they’re moving.”
The Blueshirts have desperately needed more 5-on-5 production from their top two centers.
Zibanejad (1) and captain J.T. Miller (3) entered Wednesday’s game combining for approximately 11 percent of the Rangers’ total 5-on-5 goals (35).
The two are also key pieces of the power play, which went 0-for-5 in Edmonton and hasn’t quite found a groove yet.
While Zibanejad’s play away from the puck has been effective and Miller has generated an abundance of scoring chances as one of the hardest-working Rangers below the hash marks, the team has suffered at times without the necessary scoreboard impact from those two.
The 33-year-old Zibanejad registered his first multigoal game of the season and his 43rd as a Ranger to tie Andy Bathgate for the fifth most in franchise history Wednesday night.
Intentionally banking the puck off Flames goalie Devin Cooley off the rush, Zibanejad put the Rangers up 1-0 less than a minute into the second period. The Swedish center then blasted a one-timer from his sweet spot in the left circle on the Rangers power play just over 10 minutes later.
The power-play goal was his second of the season and first since Game 2. It also tied Zibanejad with Daniel Sedin for the second-most power-play goals (138) in NHL history among Swedish players.
Plus, with two goals in the second period, Zibanejad tied Steve Vickers for the second-most multigoal periods in Rangers history (26).
“He’s so important to our team,” head coach Mike Sullivan said of Zibanejad. “He drives offense in so many ways. He drives his line. He drives offense on the power play. He just impacts the game in so many different ways. Obviously, when he’s scoring goals, it’s good for him, it’s good for us.”
Rangers goalie Joonas Korpisalo, appearing in his second game of the season, made the standout play of a scoreless opening 20 minutes. Quite frankly, it was the play of the game.
Zayne Parekh was showing off some wizardry with the puck, dangling Glenn Gawdin in his Rangers debut before skating around all the traffic in the zone.
As the 20-year-old Calgary defenseman attempted to score on a wraparound, Korpisalo purposely dropped his stick and stretched his whole body across the crease to get his blocker glove in front of the puck.
It was one of just three high-danger chances for the Flames through the first period, but the Rangers only had four of their own, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Korpisalo ultimately stopped 29 of the 30 shots he faced in his second victory of the season.
“That was a heck of a play by him,” Korpisalo said of Parekh, who was a menace with the puck more than once throughout the night. “He got me swimming. It’s just straight desperation. Dropped my stick to get my leverage, get my blocker there and I got lucky.”
