Chris Kreider says he's “learned his lessons” from taking a healthy scrape against the Devils last Monday and is ready to move on as the Rangers and the rest of the NHL return from vacation. spoke.
What were those lessons all about?
Kreider didn't really want to reveal that when he spoke to reporters after the Blueshirts practiced in Greenburgh.
“I don't think there's much point in talking about this experience,” Kreider said. “Take lessons and improve and get better and be the best version of yourself so you can help the team.”
Kreider practiced Friday with Mika Zibanejad and Riley Smith on the wings, and head coach Peter Laviolette called it a “good practice” for the longest-tenured Ranger on the current roster.
The decision to hurt Kreider came as a shock to Rangers observers who had intended to go into the holiday break with a win.
Instead, they suffered an ugly loss to their Hudson River rival Devils, their second straight loss in recent days.
Kreider missed three games in late November due to back spasms, but the 33-year-old denied claims that his back problems were hampering his ability on the ice.
“Everyone's playing through something. I feel really good right now,” Kreider replied.
But it's hard to overlook the winger's struggles, and in the nine games leading up to Monday's loss to the Devils, Kreider had scored just one goal in that span.
Kreider currently has 11 goals through 30 games this year and is on pace for his lowest point total since his first year in the NHL during the lockout-shortened 2013 season.
Kreider said he knows what he has to work on, which he has been focused on over the past few days, and has discussed it with the coaching staff, but neither Kreider nor head coach Peter Laviolette have provided details. I didn't want to touch it.
“He's an important part of the team and we're moving forward,” Laviolette said. “We need him and everyone to be great players from this point on.”
Coming off the league's holiday break, the Rangers will need everything they have left in the tank to break out of the spiral they're in.
The Blueshirts are 23rd overall in the NHL, ahead of the struggling Islanders in the Metro Division standings.
When asked what the Rangers need to do to change their fortunes, Kreider was candid.
“Stop talking about that,” he said blandly. “Each game is individual in itself. We have one game in front of us. Let's win that game.”
That comment echoed Laviolette's when he explained why it's hard for coaches to explain what's bothering the Rangers.
“I don't think one brush will do the trick,” the Rangers bench manager said. “That's one game. The next game, something's different. We lost the game 2-1 against Carolina. They scored some goals on the power play, but that one in Jersey. We didn't score a lot in the game. So every game is different. …But we have to get through it and turn the corner.”
The Rangers will try to turn that corner with two games in the Sunshine State over the next three days before a period in which four of their next five opponents are in or competing for playoff position. I will.
“We have to start coming off this break, use this as a reset and move forward and go to Tampa and win hockey games,” Laviolette said. “And move forward again in the playoff race.”
