It was the Swede’s 17th and 18th goals in the NHL this season. He made it 1-0 after 14:36 in the first period when the puck snowballed behind Florida goalkeeper Sergej Bobrovskij. Zibanejad then made it 2–0 in the middle of the second period through sniping.
— That first goal… I wish I could claim that I cheated the goalkeeper and I certainly did, but it wasn’t intentional. I dropped the puck. Maybe it will be better if I fail with my feints in the future too, says Zibanejad The evening paper with a laugh.
— Although it felt good at the end and it’s of course fun to be able to start a new year that way. Especially since we won. All points are important now.
Except for Carolina, which has dropped out of the Metropolitan division, the Eastern Conference is very even in terms of the battle for the playoff spots.
“It will be a race all the way,” says Zibanejad.