Top star was left bloodied after taking a high stick to the mouth during World Hockey Championship game in Stockholm.
Representing host nation Sweden in a matchup against Finland, the New York Rangers forward was struck early in the second period. As he skated behind Finland’s net, Finnish defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo pursued him and reached out with his stick, which rose up and hit Zibanejad directly in the mouth.
The 32-year-old fell to the ice and was visibly bleeding, yet officials surprisingly didn’t assess a penalty to Matinpalo, despite the incident seemingly warranting a double-minor. It’s possible the referees held back because Finland had already been hit with a double-minor for high-sticking earlier in the game.
Regardless, it looked like a clear missed call.
Zibanejad appeared stunned that no penalty was issued. He made his way to the Swedish bench, rinsed his mouth repeatedly with water, and spat out significant amounts of blood. Despite the injury, he returned to action and logged 19:41 of ice time.
Sweden jumped out to a 2-0 lead and held on for a 2-1 win — their third consecutive victory to start the World Championships. Zibanejad, who had netted three goals in Sweden’s first two games, was held scoreless for the first time in the tournament. He scored once in the opening 5-0 win over Slovakia and added two more, including the late game-winner, in a 4-2 victory over Austria. Zibanejad failed to register a shot on goal in the game against Finland but did win four of his seven face-offs.
He faced off against his Rangers teammate Juuso Parssinen, who was also held without a point for the first time in the tournament. Parssinen had previously netted the game-winning goals in Finland’s first two contests, including an early overtime winner in Sunday’s 4-3 victory over France.
However, Monday proved to be a rough outing for Parssinen. He managed to win just one of 14 face-offs and failed to record a shot on goal in more than 15 minutes of ice time.
Rangers Brett Berard out for World Championships: report
New York Rangers forward Brett Berard was initially expected to represent the United States at the World Championships, but he has missed the team’s first three games—including Monday’s tough 3-0 loss to Switzerland—and now appears unlikely to participate at all.
According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, Berard withdrew from the tournament due to “physical limitations.”
The explanation isn’t particularly detailed, but it’s clear that Berard isn’t in good enough shape to compete in the World Championships. However, Mollie Walker noted that, according to a source, the 22-year-old is still expected to be able to train during the offseason, and there’s no concern about him being ready for training camp.
During break-up day, Berard shared that he plans to head back to the tristate area in early June to train alongside teammates Chris Kreider, Matt Rempe, and Jonathan Quick at Prentiss Hockey Performance in Connecticut.
In his rookie season with the Rangers, Berard appeared in 35 games, recording six goals and 10 points while mostly playing in a bottom-six role. Notable performances included a two-goal game against the Islanders on April 10 and a two-assist outing versus the Blackhawks on January 5.