{"id":434885,"date":"2023-12-05T22:52:46","date_gmt":"2023-12-06T03:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=434885"},"modified":"2023-12-05T22:52:46","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T03:52:46","slug":"rangers-outplayed-ottawa-senators-mika-zibanejad-reunion-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2023\/12\/05\/rangers-outplayed-ottawa-senators-mika-zibanejad-reunion-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Rangers Outplayed by Ottawa Senators in Mika Zibanejad Reunion Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Canadian Tire Centre was the venue for the first\u00a0<\/span>Mika Zibanejad<\/a>\u00a0reunion game of the 2023-24 season against the struggling\u00a0<\/span>Ottawa Senators<\/span><\/a>. New York found themselves in a tilt against another league bottom feeder. The Senators, having played only 19 games thus far, came in below .500 holding a record of 9-10-0. The Blueshirts know better than to not underestimate the bottom feeders. The ever-resilient\u00a0<\/span>San Jose Sharks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0gave New York a bit of a scare on Sunday. Thanks to\u00a0<\/span>Artemi Panarin<\/a>\u2019s fifth career hat trick, the Rangers barely escaped and defeated the Sharks 6-5.<\/span><\/p>\n

As previously mentioned, we find ourselves in another Mika Zibanejad<\/a> reunion game. Drafted by Ottawa in 2011, Zibanejad spent his first five seasons in Canada\u2019s capital city. The Rangers acquired Zibanejad in a trade before the start of the 2016-17 season. Since then, the former Sen has been one of the most impactful Blueshirts of the recent era.<\/span><\/p>\n

First Period Takeaway: The Most Dangerous Lead in Hockey<\/h1>\n

It would be no surprise if the Panarin, Vincent Trocheck<\/a>, and Alexis Lafreni\u00e8re<\/a> line became \u201cLine One\u201d all of a sudden. These three play such a telepathic style of hockey, always knowing where their other two linemates are at all times. The shots might have ended 10 aside after the first 20 minutes, but Ottawa led where it mattered the most.<\/p>\n

In Igor Shesterkin<\/a>\u2019s most recent starts, he has to deal with some quality net-front presence care of the opposition. Midway through the period, a Brady Tkachuk<\/a> deflection found twine.<\/p>\n

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ZUUUB \u27a1\ufe0f Tkaptain \ud83d\udea8#GoSensGo<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/bbGxqMKqmy<\/a><\/p>\n

— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) December 6, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n