Mika Zibanejad Daily Fantasy News, Rankings, Projections

Mika Zibanejad put up four points in the season opening playing with his new linemates in Pavel Buchnevich and Artemi Panarin. Zibanejad also fired seven shots on net hitting not only the point bonus but the shot bonus too while being one block away from the triple bonus.

Playing on the top line in New York seems to be working out so far for Ryan Strome. He's playing alongside Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad and has put up some solid offensive numbers as of late. Since March 1st, Strome has 8 goals and 12 points in 16 games which is a great scoring stretch for him. Tonight the Rangers host the Ottawa Senators — a team that over the last month has a league-worst 41.62 CF% and also a league-worst 67.42 CA/60.

The New York Rangers have stacked their top line as of late, with the few players worth stacking a line with. Mika Zibanejad, Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider make up the top line for the Rangers as they host the Los Angeles Kings. Additionally, this line plays together on the top power play unit. This gives the entire line full-game correlation and elite upside. Over the last month, the Kings have allowed 62.8 CA/60 which is bottom 5 in the NHL which is encouraging for the Rangers.

The New York Rangers have stacked their top line with what little offensive talent they have. Mika Zibanejad is centering Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider, and the trio also play on the top power play unit together which gives them full-game correlation and elite upside on a three-game slate. They visit the New Jersey Devils, a team that in January has allowed 59.87 CA/60 which is the 9th most and their 45.83 CF% ranks 29th. The Rangers struggle to score with a 27th ranked 2.73 GF/GP, but the matchup is decent enough that they should be able to put the puck in the net.

The Ottawa Senators' defense this year has been the worst in the NHL, and it's honestly not that close. They have allowed 107 goals in 25 games, or 4.28 goals per game. Vancouver is the second worst at 3.55, so the gap is quite significant. Tonight, they face a depleted Rangers team, but that means more minutes to go around to cheap players. Filip Chytil's price has finally gotten a bump, but he's still affordable considering his role. He has points in 6 of his last 8 games, and that should get better against the league's worst defense.

It has been a disaster of a season for the New York Rangers, and in particular, Mika Zibanejad has slowed down, posting just three points in 10 games after the All-Star Break. However, in a battle of two teams essentially playing the season out, anything goes, especially with Antti Niemi guarding the crease for the Montreal Canadiens. Antti has resembled Swiss cheese for several seasons running, and this season is no different as the veteran has posted a pathetic 4.18 GAA and ghastly .880 SV% in 13 appearances. Mika Zibanejad sports the New York Rangers top HDCF% at 58.27% with Rick Nash right behind him, and while this duo has yet to really skate with each other, finding goals should not be a problem against Antti Niemi. Zibanejad and Nash make for a low-owned, high-upside combination in tournaments, and linemate Pavel Buchnevich as well as defenseman Brady Skjei could join the fun too as they join Zibanejad and Nash on the team's top power play unit.

The idea that he could see plenty of Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad in this matchup is a small concern, but 1) It's a two-game slate, and 2) Alain Vigneault should be able to utilize the last line change to get Zibanejad, Zuccarrelo and J.T. Miller into some favorable matchups. Here's the catch with Zibanejad; he's been ice cold lately. Zero points since before Thanksgiving kinda cold (eight games). While it's slightly concerning, this will likely suppress his ownership to some degree and we're still talking about a player who racked up 37 points in 56 games after coming to the Big Apple last season. Zibanejad lit the lamp against the Blackhawks when these two teams faced off earlier this season and his combination of speed and creativity should result in plenty of scoring chances in what should be an up-tempo game.

If you are looking to maximize the potential of a line stack tonight, look to the top line of New York which features Buchnevich, Kreider, and the expected return of Zibanejad. They draw a great matchup against a depleted Anaheim team that has been repeatedly been bailed out by strong goaltending this season despite entering tonight's game with the highest xGA/60 among available road teams. Also featured on New York's top power play unit, this trio should be very active on the man advantage tonight against a tired Ducks team that will be playing on consecutive nights a long way away from home. In a game that should play at a fast pace between two struggling defensive teams, loading up on the top line for New York could pay major dividends tonight.

Zibanejad is centering a high-flying top line for the Rangers and will certainly benefit from a matchup against the Senators. Ottawa represents a decent floor matchup as they struggle to suppress shot attempts at 5v5. The New York top line is taking over one shot attempt per minute (64.07 CF/60) so the shot volume should be there. Averaging over a point per game thus far, look for Zibanejad and the Rangers top line to keep Craig Anderson busy in this one.

Many of us were expecting big time regression with the Vegas Golden Knights and we saw it come to fruition last night, and I expect more of the same tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Golden Knights are winning games, but a deeper look into their advanced statistics showed us a team that was overachieving. Vegas continues to struggle with their defensive zone coverage, ranking 27th in SCA/60 and 29th in CA/60, which will eventually result in more goals against, like we saw last night in Brooklyn. The Golden Knights also lost goaltender Oscar Dansk to injury (their third goalie injury this year), and back-up goalie Maxime Lagace did not look like he was NHL ready. Look for the New York Rangers to dominate this hockey game tonight, with first line center Mika Zibanejad leading their offensive attack.