Sports Chris Kreider’s natural hat trick helps Rangers place away Hurricanes (1:39)
Chris Kreider’s third-length hat trick helps the Rangers close out the Hurricanes to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. (1:39)
Greg Wyshynski, ESPNMay 16, 2024, 10:03 PM ET
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Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL creator. Sleek York Rangers forward Chris Kreider told his teammates he felt there was as soon as a scheme in his stick before the third length of Game 6 in opposition to the Carolina Hurricanes, with his crew trailing 3-1.
“I said, ‘I obvious hope so,'” recalled teammate Vincent Trocheck.
Kreider did ranking a scheme within the third length in Raleigh on Thursday night. After which another. And another. His natural hat trick within the remainder frame fueled Sleek York’s 5-3 comeback rating, which eliminated the Hurricanes after Carolina had rallied from a 3-0 series deficit. The Rangers await the winner of the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins within the Eastern Conference closing.
“That’s upright a monster third length,” Rangers coach Peter Laviolette said. “He place it on his assist and he in level of truth delivered. It was as soon as extra than upright him, however at the cease of the day, we would dangle liked to ranking objectives, and here’s what he does.”
Kreider now has seven objectives within the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs. Handiest two Rangers gamers dangle scored extra of their first 10 video games of a postseason: Ron Duguay and Ulf Nilsson in 1981 (8 objectives).
Kreider grew to turn out to be the ninth participant in NHL history to file a natural hat trick within the third length of a sport. He is the sixth participant in NHL playoff history to file a natural hat trick at any level in a sport that incorporated a series-clinching scheme. Handiest two loads of gamers in NHL history dangle had a natural hat trick within the third length that incorporated a series-clinching scheme.
“It was as soon as clutch. I mediate we dangle been down on ourselves after the first two periods. Everytime you’re in a space admire that, it’s good to your mammoth gamers to advance assist up mammoth, and that’s what Chris did tonight,” Trocheck said.
Kreider’s first scheme at 6:43 of the third length came after linemate Mika Zibanejad tried to bank the puck off the skate of Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen from a defective perspective. Kreider skated in and knocked the free puck in front of Andersen into the net to reduce the Carolina consequence in 3-2.
“It for sure anxiousness. You place now not want to supply them lifestyles. I believed I in level of truth dangle it covered, and I wasn’t in a region to fetch my glove down on it. Mistake. Tricky timing on that,” said Andersen (19 saves), who was as soon as outdueled by Igor Shesterkin (33 saves).
Proper 5:11 later, Kreider scored on the energy play to tie the sport. Zibanejad drew a tainted-checking penalty on Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal, one of Carolina’s top penalty killers. Kreider deflected an Artemi Panarin level shot to tie the sport. That snapped a 3-sport energy-play drought for the Rangers, who had scored 10 energy-play objectives of their outdated 5 playoff video games.
“I wouldn’t suppose that at any time we dangle been in a rut. It was as soon as upright a matter of us taking a while to contain our contain adjustments,” said Trocheck, who said the Rangers replied to the drought by giving him increase on faceoffs and slowing down their tempo.
Kreider executed his hat trick — and the Rangers’ comeback — with 4:19 left in regulation. He was as soon as planted in front of the net and snapped a Ryan Lindgren lumber into the net for a 4-3 lead that Sleek York would never relinquish.
In honest Kreider fashion, his three third-length objectives measured upright 18 feet in whole distance.
“We had a first rate assortment of advance-from-late wins within the abnormal season. We never felt admire we dangle been out of it,” Kreider said.
The Rangers have not been out of it all season. The Game 6 rating was as soon as their thirty third comeback rating between the abnormal season and the playoffs. That moved them into a tie with the 2006 Hurricanes and 1984 Oilers for the most in a season in NHL history.
Both of those groups would rating the Stanley Cup of their respective seasons. Due to Kreider, the Rangers are now eight wins away from a success one for the first time since 1994.
“When our assist was as soon as up in opposition to the wall going into the third length, the gamers in that room delivered in opposition to a truly upright hockey crew,” Laviolette said.