New York Rangers ahead Chris Kreider instructed his teammates he felt there was a objective in his stick earlier than the third interval of Recreation 6 in opposition to the Carolina Hurricanes, together with his group trailing 3-1.
“I mentioned, ‘I positive hope so,'” recalled teammate Vincent Trocheck.
Kreider did rating a objective within the third interval in Raleigh on Thursday evening. After which one other. And one other. His pure hat trick within the ultimate body fueled New York’s 5-3 comeback win, which eradicated the Hurricanes after Carolina had rallied from a 3-0 collection deficit. The Rangers await the winner of the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins within the Jap Convention ultimate.
“That’s only a monster third interval,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette mentioned. “He put it on his again and he actually delivered. It was extra than simply him, however on the finish of the day, we wanted to attain targets, and that is what he does.”
Kreider now has seven targets within the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. Solely two Rangers gamers have scored extra of their first 10 video games of a postseason: Ron Duguay and Ulf Nilsson in 1981 (8 targets).
Editor’s Picks
2 Associated
Kreider turned the ninth participant in NHL historical past to file a pure hat trick within the third interval of a sport. He is the sixth participant in NHL playoff historical past to file a pure hat trick at any level in a sport that included a series-clinching objective. Solely two different gamers in NHL historical past have had a pure hat trick within the third interval that included a series-clinching objective.
“It was clutch. I believe we have been down on ourselves after the primary two durations. Everytime you’re in a spot like that, you want your massive gamers to return up massive, and that is what Chris did tonight,” Trocheck mentioned.
Kreider’s first objective at 6:43 of the third interval got here after linemate Mika Zibanejad tried to financial institution the puck off the skate of Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen from a nasty angle. Kreider skated in and knocked the free puck in entrance of Andersen into the web to chop the Carolina result in 3-2.
“It positively harm. You do not need to give them life. I assumed I’ve it lined, and I wasn’t in a position to get my glove down on it. Mistake. Robust timing on that,” mentioned Andersen (19 saves), who was outdueled by Igor Shesterkin (33 saves).
Simply 5:11 later, Kreider scored on the ability play to tie the sport. Zibanejad drew a cross-checking penalty on Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal, one among Carolina’s prime penalty killers. Kreider deflected an Artemi Panarin level shot to tie the sport. That snapped a three-game power-play drought for the Rangers, who had scored 10 power-play targets of their earlier 5 playoff video games.
“I would not say that at any time we have been in a rut. It was only a matter of us taking a while to make our personal changes,” mentioned Trocheck, who mentioned the Rangers responded to the drought by giving him help on faceoffs and slowing down their tempo.
Kreider accomplished his hat trick — and the Rangers’ comeback — with 4:19 left in regulation. He was planted in entrance of the web and snapped a Ryan Lindgren go into the web for a 4-3 lead that New York would by no means relinquish.
In true Kreider trend, his three third-period targets measured simply 18 toes in complete distance.
“We had an honest variety of come-from-behind wins within the common season. We by no means felt like we have been out of it,” Kreider mentioned.
The Rangers have not been out of all of it season. The Recreation 6 win was their thirty third comeback win between the common season and the playoffs. That moved them right into a tie with the 2006 Hurricanes and 1984 Oilers for probably the most in a season in NHL historical past.
Each of these groups would win the Stanley Cup of their respective seasons. Because of Kreider, the Rangers at the moment are eight wins away from profitable one for the primary time since 1994.
“When our again was up in opposition to the wall going into the third interval, the gamers in that room delivered in opposition to a very good hockey group,” Laviolette mentioned.
