Late in the third period of Game 1 on Sunday, Jack Roslovic freed the puck from near the Rangers’ net and handed it to Mika Zibanejad, who immediately slingshotted it onto the ice for a pass to Chris Kreider. , I set it free and removed the cover. To the Capitals zone.
Kreider, in his 12th season as a winger for the Rangers, slid to his right right in front of Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren, then followed with a deke movement to his right (on the side of Lindgren’s stick). He then backhanded the puck into the Washington net, giving the Rangers a three-point lead and a 4-1 lead. 43 pieces left.
The goal sealed the victory for the Rangers, giving them a 1-0 lead heading into Game 2 of the playoff series at the Garden on Tuesday night.
It was also Kreider’s 41st playoff goal in 108 postseason games, further evidence of his remarkable consistency over the years.
There was beauty in Kreider’s clinchers, and his goals often came from in front of the net, where he would camp and deflect teammates’ passes and shots into the crease.
Therefore, many of his goals come with physical costs.
In scoring Sunday, Kreider showed off his speed and was able to score some artistic goals.
The other beauty of this goal was that everyone knew where Kreider was going with the puck. No goalie, including the goalie, still couldn’t stop it.
“That’s the way he moves,” Rangers winger Jimmy Vesey said Tuesday after the team’s morning skate.
“There was no doubt in my mind what he was going to do with it,” Rangers teammate Vincent Trocheck said with a smile. “Yeah, he always scores on those chances.”
If Kreider’s teammates marvel at anything about his game, it’s his consistency.
He has scored at least 20 goals in nine of the last 10 seasons. His best year was the 2021-22 season, when he scored 52 goals, including an NHL-best 26 goals on the power play and a league-leading 11 wins.
Kreider never slacked off in his first two seasons, scoring 36 goals last season and 39 this season.
He did some of his best work in the postseason. Despite losing in seven games to the Devils last season, Kreider scored six goals and had three assists.
In the 2021-22 season, he had 10 goals and six assists in 15 playoff games.
“Consistency is the hardest thing in sports, and it’s really impressive that he’s been able to do it for so long,” Veasey said. “I have a lot of respect for ‘Clays.’ I’ve played with him for a long time and I sit next to him here in the locker room as well. He takes care of himself and prepares right every year. He scores goals from in front of the net, but it’s not an easy task.
“And he’s from Massachusetts, so…that’s even more respectful,” Vesey, also from Massachusetts, added with a smile.
“He’s been here a long time and is one of the leaders on and off the ice,” Rangers wing Kaapo Kakko said.
Alex Wennberg, who came to the Rangers at the trade deadline, said of Kreider, “I played a few games with him and he has speed and he has weight on the puck.” “It’s great to have him as a teammate, rather than playing against him. It’s great to be able to play with players that I’ve played against and kind of hated playing against him. Yo.”
Kreider is a kind of silent assassin. He is humble and not one to seek attention. In fact, he hasn’t appeared to the media once this postseason since entering Tuesday night’s game.
But his presence is felt among his teammates and coaches.
“You can feel his presence in the locker room and on the ice,” Wennberg said.
“He’s been in so many playoff games with this organization that they can rely on.” [like Kreider] The way they play the game, both in the room and on the ice, is important,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said.
“Obviously, I have a lot of respect for ‘The Craze,'” Trocheck said. “What makes him great is the consistency of how he plays. He doesn’t change. The things that make him successful in the regular season are the same things that make him successful in the playoffs. He has a heavier style. He plays a lot of hockey. He’s a big guy, hard to get out in front of the net, and he has speed.”
That was proven by Sunday’s winning goal.
