Chris Kreider has owned real estate in front of every opponent’s net for quite some time.
And the longest-tenured Ranger there once again turned the edge of the blue crease in front of the Canadiens goal into his personal office, scoring another key power-play goal in the third period (his third in the last three games). I decided. Momentum built for the Blueshirts to a 5-2 victory over Montreal on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden.
“I knew that before I got here,” Vincent Trocheck said of Kreider’s net-front presence. “When we played him in the playoffs a few years ago, he seemed to score from that position every game against us.” [the Hurricanes]. When you have a player like that on the net front, it opens up a lot of space for everyone else on the power play. ”
Kreider, who passed Rod Gilbert for the second-most power-play goals in franchise history with 109, was actually the Rangers’ third-season power-play goal scorer since the overtime victory over the Avalanche on March 28. He has scored the last four goals. .
This has been a major strength for the Rangers all season, considering their power play ranks fourth in the NHL at 25.9 percent of games started, and it’s been on display at the right times lately.
The Rangers’ 53rd win of the season was no different, tying the franchise’s record for most wins in a single season.
The top man-advantage team produced two goals, with Mika Zibanejad scoring the tying goal in the second period and Kreider scoring the go-ahead goal in the third.
Just nine seconds into the second period power play, Zibanejad’s pass to Kreider tied the score at one-all, and Kreider converted Artemi Panarin’s shot with his stick to give the Rangers a 2-1 lead. . Enter the frame in the middle and cut to 4 minutes.
Both were, after all, just power play highlights of Panarin’s four-point night and Zibanejad’s three-point night.
“I try to shoot the puck to him every time,” Panarin said of Kreider. “I like Ringo because he has a good position and gives me tips. So why not?
Like the plate below New York City, which experienced a magnitude 4.8 earthquake last week, the Rangers’ power play is known as the epicenter of the offense.
They may have outscored the Canadiens for much of the game on the second night of back-to-back games, but it was the Rangers’ top power play unit that started the attack.
The Rangers dominated below the hash marks, gained significant time in the offensive zone, and despite taking more shots, fell short of Cole Caufield’s goal at the end of the first period.
To withstand the ups and downs of a playoff series and the ups and downs of top players, the Rangers’ power play will need to be a consistent force by the time the postseason begins later this month.
“I think they’ve found a pretty solid power play group, not just this year,” Jacob Trouba said. “Those guys are tough to guard. If you look at them in practice, they can interact, move, and make plays. The Kreids are pretty good — they’re all good at the positions they’re in. I think it’s special.
“That’s good for us. They’re going to have to be big going forward and in the playoffs.”
