Artemi Panarin's assist on Zibanejad's power-play goal was his 400th with the Rangers, making him the eighth player in franchise history with at least that many. He also scored two goals in what was his 800th NHL game.
Brennan Othmann scored his first NHL goal in his 34th game.
Spencer Martin made 25 saves in his first start with the Rangers, picking up his first win in the NHL since Nov. 27, 2024, when he was with the Carolina Hurricanes and, ironically, made 19 saves in a 4-3 win against the Rangers.
Mike Sullivan became the 30th coach in NHL history with at least 500 wins.
"I just think it speaks volumes for the character of the people in the room," Sullivan said. "The last couple of days have been pretty emotional for the whole group and to respond with an effort like they did for me is evidence that these guys are quality people and they care a lot about each other and about the Rangers."
But while it all made for a good day and the end to a five-game skid since they won the 2026 Discover NHL Winter Classic in Miami on Jan. 2, Sullivan and the players understand what the bigger picture of the rest of this season looks like and the challenges that lie ahead.
The Rangers are last in the Eastern Conference with 48 points. No other team has played more games (49). They have the fewest home wins (five). The roster will change, and likely not for the better, at least not immediately, between now and the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6.
Drury met with the entire team Friday to give the players a heads up on the plans to retool around core players to get younger, more skilled and faster to ultimately become a Stanley Cup contender again.
He met individually with the leadership group that includes captain Miller, and alternates Panarin, Zibanejad, Vincent Trocheck and Adam Fox.
"I think you have all kinds of feelings toward something like that coming out," Zibanejad said. "It's a lot of emotions and obviously we have the early game today so not a lot of time, I think 24 hours from it being posted to us playing. Huge credit to the guys. ... It's not an easy situation. It becomes a little overwhelmed with a lot of feelings and emotions about it. I thought the way we responded today and the way we played today was great."
Some of the players who played Saturday will be leaving the organization in the next six-plus weeks, led by Panarin, the Rangers leading scorer with 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists) in 48 games.
The 34-year-old is in the last year of a seven-year, $81.5 million contract. He was informed Friday that the Rangers will not be offering him a new contract, but they will work with him to find a new home for the rest of the season.
Panarin has a no-movement clause, allowing him to decide where he can go.
"It's hard to say how I feel," Panarin said. "Still confused, but, yeah, the team decided to go in a different direction. I'm OK with that. I'm a Rangers player right now so I've got to play every game a hundred percent."
Carson Soucy, who is not with the team because of personal reasons, is a pending unrestricted free agent, making the defenseman a strong trade candidate. Forward Jonny Brodzinski is in the same boat.
Forwards Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere, and defenseman Braden Schneider are sure to hear their names in trade rumors.
It's not an easy time even though it was easy to smile during and after the game Saturday.
"It's definitely better than losing," Zibanejad said. "Being able to win like this too is huge, especially when you're about to sit on a five-hour flight to the west coast. Every win helps your team morale, maybe more so than it has in the past, especially after yesterday."
