Welcome to the Eastern Conference Finals, Chris Kreider.
The Rangers forward had been held scoreless since his hat trick in Game 6 of the second round, but he finally had his big breakthrough in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals at the Garden on Thursday night, scoring for the Blueshirts.
With the Rangers on the penalty kill, the Panthers got the puck to Kreider in the offensive zone, who quickly passed the puck to Mika Zibandjed.
Zibanejad, sensing an opportunity in a small group, skated up the ice at a fast pace and made a pass to Kreider at the Rangers’ offensive blue line.
Kreider used his body to protect himself from Sam Reinhart and then beat Florida goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky with a quick forehand-to-backhand move to give the Rangers a 1-0 lead at 2:04 of the second period.
In a series where the Rangers got very little from their stars, Kreider’s goal was a big moment that changed that narrative.
Gustav Forsling scored later in the period to tie the game at 1-1.
