Postgame takeaways: Mika Zibanejad gets the monkey off his back in Rangers' win

NEW YORK − Is it officially Mika March?

It's probably too soon to dedicate the month to the Rangers' No. 1 center, who has a track record of getting hot just before spring arrives, but Monday was at the very least a major sigh of relief.

Mika Zibanejad had gone 30 straight games without a five-on-five goal, with his last such tally coming two days before Christmas. The drought finally ended in second period of a 3-1 win over the visiting New Jersey Devils, with Zibanejad letting out a visible exhale as his teammates and the Madison Square Garden crowd erupted.

After a few moments of attempting to put those emotions into words, he left it at this.

"I think my face said it all."

That monkey-off-his-back moment was yet another positive sign for the Rangers (42-18-4), who have put together two of their most complete performances of the season coming out of Friday's NHL trade deadline.

They dominated Monday's contest in pretty much every facet, holding their cross-river rival to only 20 shots and one late goal from Simon Nemec. They also went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, including a five-minute PK following an illegal hit from Matt Rempe that resulted in a game misconduct.

"I think we're doing a better job with the puck and just some of the decision making that we're doing out there," Zibanejad said. "First of all, I don't think we're allowing a lot of grade-A chances, but I don't think we're allowing a lot of shots, either. We’re trying to keep them on the outside, trying to close a little bit quicker. But I think especially against a team like this, they've got incredible talent and speed. You don't want to feed into their game in transition and give that time to their skill guys."

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New York had several near misses that could have made the final score much worse for the Devils, who are fading fast in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The Rangers, on the other hand, are clearly among the conference's top dogs. The additions of forwards Jack Roslovic and Alex Wennberg have balanced out their lineup nicely, providing head coach Peter Laviolette with the depth needed to execute his aggressive system without running out of steam.

"The guys that we’ve added have brought a noticeable impact and speed to our team," Laviolette said. "They bring a lot speed and they hang onto pucks and they look to make plays. They can put it behind them and go to work, or they can attack off the rush, which they’ve done. They're noticeable and I think that they've had positive impacts."

The result is back-to-back wins to begin a grueling stretch of nine games in 15 days, but it's only going to get tougher from here. Next up is a trip to Carolina on Tuesday to play the Hurricanes, who have pulled to within four points of the Blueshirts for first place in the Metro Division.

"We know it's a busy week, but this was obviously a big game here against a division rival," Zibanejad said. "We want to get the two points, but now there's another big game coming up (Tuesday) against Carolina. That's a good team and a team we’re battling with for that spot."

Mika Zibanejad breaks through

For a change, the Rangers haven't had to rely on the Artemi Panarin-Vincent Trocheck-Alexis Lafrenière trio to produce the majority of their 5v5 offense.

All four lines generated quality scoring chances against the Devils, just as they did in Saturday's 4-0 win over the St. Louis Blues.

There were several high-danger looks before Zibanejad finally broke through with 7:35 remaining in the second period, including a sweet backhanded pass from Lafrenière that perfectly setup Panarin for a goal that was called back after a coach's challenge revealed the Rangers were offside.

Of all the players that could use a goal, though, Zibanejad was at the top of the list. He got it when Roslovic pressured the Devils into a turnover and Chris Kreider dished a pass from behind the net, with No. 93 doing the rest. He deked Jersey defenseman John Marino and flicked a backhanded shot past goalie Kaapo Kahkonen.

It gave him 20 goals in a season for the ninth time in his career, but only six of this season's tallies have come at 5v5.

"When we’re winning, it takes off some of that pressure," Zibanejad said. "But when the puck hasn’t gone in for a while, it’s nice to see one go in."

The 30-year-old's all-around impact isn't lost on those who watch him play on a regular basis, but the reality is that the Rangers need him to be more of an even-strength offensive force if they're going to get past the likes of Boston, Carolina and Florida in the East.

Zibanejad was that on Monday, racking up a team-high seven shots and one very big goal.

"The last few games here, I think he’s been really noticeable," Laviolette said. "He's skating with authority. He's bringing the puck to the net frequently and with authority. And because of that, good things are happening for him and for his line."

The Rangers are hoping that inserting the speedy Roslovic in the right-wing spot next to Kreider and Zibanejad will spark that line, with that combo taking a step forward against the Devils.

They're learning each other's tendencies on the fly, with the team yet to practice since Roslovic was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday afternoon.

"I thought we created a lot of good chances off of good plays through the neutral zone and just recovering pucks after shots," Zibanejad said. "I think that's definitely something that we can do and we can create chances off it. And if you don't score right away from a result from that, I think other things might open up.

"Rosy’s been good," he added. "It’s weird having played two games and just having (one) morning skate with him. I haven't had a lot of time to kind of go through some routes, but I don't know. Maybe it's easier to just play games and be able to talk and try to make an impact right away, or try to make a change right away when you're sitting on the bench."

Matt Rempe gets tossed

The bottom six made their presence felt, as well.

The Will Cuylle-Wennberg-Kaapo Kakko line took many of their shifts against Jersey's dangerous trio of Jack Hughes, Erik Haula and Jesper Bratt, holding them off the scoresheet with a hounding forecheck and strong execution on the 1-3-1 neutral-zone trap. As a line, they allowed only two shots on goal, according to Natural Stat Trick.

But for the second straight game, it was the fourth line helping to add a critical insurance goal. Defenseman Erik Gustafsson got the credit for a long wrist shot that beat Kahkonen over his glove hand, but it wouldn't have been possible without Rempe and Barclay Goodrow fighting for position and disrupting the goalie's line of sight.

"I thought he was playing a really strong game," Laviolette said of Rempe. "Total credit on the goal for him. He had good shift going, he got back (and) got to the front of the net."

Goodrow, Rempe and Jimmy Vesey were effective once again, but their night got cut short when Rempe was called for a five-minute elbow major and game misconduct late in the second period.

It came after a hit against Jonas Siegenthaler along the boards, with the 6-foot-8 rookie's left elbow flying up high and catching the Devils' defenseman in the chin.

"I think he was just tracking the hit," Laviolette said. "I don’t want to comment too much on it until I get to see it again. I saw it once live. Trying to look down and see it through the plexiglass is difficult sometimes. But I hope Siegenthaler is okay. I thought Remp had a strong game up until that point."

Siegenthaler did not return and Rempe got what he deserved for the dangerous play, but not before Jersey tough guy Kurtis MacDermid went after him. He had been trying to bait Rempe into a fight all night, and after players and referees got in between them to prevent it, the 21-year-old playfully waved at MacDermid as he was being escorted off the ice.

The Garden crowd loved it, but the hit itself was no laughing matter. It wouldn't come as a surprise if Rempe is fined, suspended or both.

Vincent Z. Mercogliano is the New York Rangers beat reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Read more of his work at lohud.com/sports/rangers/ and follow him on Twitter @vzmercogliano.