"Can't change it now": Mika Zibanejad addresses his turnover pass to Blake Wheeler which eventually cost Rangers Game 4

New York Rangers center Mika Zibanejad shared his thoughts about his turnover pass to Blake Wheeler, which eventually ended up costing the Blueshirts in their Game 4 loss against the Florida Panthers in overtime at Amerant Bank on Tuesday.

Blake Wheeler, who played his first game for the Rangers in more than three months due to a lower-body injury, found himself at the receiving end of an inaccurate pass from Mika Zibanejad in the neutral zone.

The pass from the Blueshirts center was intercepted by the Panthers, and as Wheeler attempted to take back possession, he accidentally hooked Aleksander Barkov during a break. Initially, there was a brief moment when it seemed like a penalty shot could be awarded, but ultimately, Wheeler was instead sent to the penalty box.

As a result, the Panthers earned a powerplay, during which Sam Reinhart took advantage and scored the game-winning powerplay goal at 1:12 of overtime, securing a 3-2 victory for his team in Game 4.

In the post-game media interactions, Mika Zibanejad shared his thought process on the play that led to the turnover. He said (via Mollie Walker of NY Post on X):

“It’s making decisions. I see him kind of coming towards me, I think he’s open because [Will Cuylle] is going to the net, trying to make the play and they poke it and go the other way," Zibanejad said after the game.

Zibanejad took responsibility for the outcome and expressed his determination to learn from the experience and make better decisions in the future:

"Obviously I should have probably just made a different play, or decision, but I made the decision there then. I can’t change it now...That's sports. Just come back and try to make another decision next time and hope it goes my way," he added.

Game 4 marked the third straight overtime game in the Eastern Conference final series between the Rangers and Panthers. The Panthers lost the last two games and won their first game in overtime. The series is now even at 2-2.

Mika Zibanejad optimistic for Game 5

Zibanejad reflected on what went wrong for the Rangers in Game 4. He said that during the game, the Blueshirts allowed the Panthers to control the second period by sitting back a bit, which wasn't their game plan.

He acknowledged the Rangers' strong performance in the first period but admitted that the second period didn't go as planned. Mika Zibanejad expressed disappointment in the overall result but remained optimistic for Game 5.

He said (via NHL.com):

“I think we sat back a little bit in the second and allowed them to kind of dictate the period," New York forward Mika Zibanejad said. “We played a pretty good first period, set ourselves up. The second period was not what we wanted."

"Good job in the third tying the game up and giving ourselves a chance. Overall, not the result we wanted. It’s best-of-3. We go home and try to take care of Game 5."

The New York Rangers will travel back home for Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Thursday. The puck drops at 8 p.m. ET.