This just might be the year for Chris Kreider.
In his 10th NHL season, with three games to go until the halfway point, Kreider is six goals away from achieving the first 30-goal campaign of his career. He has finished with 28 twice and has had seven seasons with 20-plus goals, but the longest-tenured Ranger has never reached the coveted 30-goal mark.
Kreider recorded his 24th goal of the season, and fifth in the past six games, in the Rangers’ 3-2 win over the Flyers in Philadelphia on Saturday night. Redirecting the game-tying goal from in front of the net off an Adam Fox shot, Kreider entered Sunday with the fourth-most goals in the NHL.
“He’s played a lot of games, he knows how to win in this league, and he’s a leader for us,” Fox said of Kreider after the road win. “When we need a spark or a big goal, it seems like he’s always been there for us. It was no different [Saturday].”
Chris Kreider celebrates a goal on Saturday.APThe 30-year-old winger is playing some of the best hockey of his career, which was validated last week when he was announced as an All-Star along with Fox, the reigning Norris Trophy winner. While it will be Kreider’s second All-Star appearance, it’s his first outright selection after he stepped in as an injury replacement for Artemi Panarin in 2020.
That’s just scratching the surface of what Kreider has meant to the 2021-22 Rangers. In addition to serving as a leadership voice in the locker room, Kreider leads the Rangers with a career-high 12 power-play goals, which was good for second in the NHL entering Sunday. His 17 total points on the man-advantage is also a career best.
“I think he’s playing with a lot of confidence,” head coach Gerard Gallant said. “We put him on the PK, he’s taken a responsibility there and doing a real good job of it, obviously. With his speed and his strength and when he gets to the net, on the power play he shoots the puck and he’s around the net, hit the post again [Saturday night]. I just think he’s full of confidence and things are going in for him.”
Chris Kreider’s breakthrough year was rewarded with an All Star selection.Getty ImagesBetween the way Kreider has mastered his net-front presence and the continuity of the first unit, the Rangers’ power play has repeatedly found ways to be effective. The Rangers round out the top-10 power plays in the league at 23.2 percent, while their 26 goals were tied for fifth.
The Blueshirts went 1-for-2 on the power play Saturday, which improved the team to 16-2-3 in games in which it scored on the man-advantage. Kreider has also taken on penalty-killing responsibilities, something he hadn’t done much of until this season.
After fending off the Flyers’ lone power play in the most recent win, the Rangers have been perfect on the penalty kill in seven of their last nine games and 11 of their last 14.
“I think he’s definitely been a dominant player this year,” Fox said. “Obviously, around the net he’s good. But he’s been making plays, big defensively and I know he’s been killing penalties. He’s been the young guy on the team. Now, he’s the older guy on the team. So I think he knows how to handle the room well and when we need him, he steps up.”
