With simply over eight minutes left on the clock, tied at two-all and skating shorthanded, the Rangers snagged possession.
Mika Zibanejad pushed up the ice and glanced again earlier than carrying the puck into the offensive zone. With only a few explosive strides, Chris Kreider bolted up the center — splitting drained Boston forwards Matthew Poitras and David Pastrnak — to affix the very best man in his marriage ceremony on the 2-on-1 rush.
The go bounced off a backchecking Charlie McAvoy earlier than it was settled by the skate of Kreider, who then buried it off a tricky angle to shoot onlooking followers out of their seats and finally safe the Blueshirts’ 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday evening at Madison Sq. Backyard.
“I really feel like I’ve missed loads of these the previous few months,” Kreider informed The Publish after the win, which pushed the Rangers to 4 factors out of the second wild card. “Good to see one go in.”
The sport-winning objective was Kreider’s third shorthanded rating of the season, in addition to the Rangers’ ninth of the season, which ties the membership with the Lighting for the second most within the NHL.
It additionally tied Kreider with Invoice Fairbairn for fourth place on the Rangers’ all-time shorthanded objective checklist at 12.
To Kreider’s self-assessment, nonetheless, it was his first objective at house since Dec. 2.
Manufacturing has been down for the longest-tenured Ranger, whose 16 objectives and three assists are good for the ninth-most factors on the group.
It’s are available in a season that has seen Kreider miss three video games as a consequence of again spasms, land on injured reserve with an upper-body damage for 4 and serve one contest as a wholesome scratch.
Nonetheless, Wednesday’s objective was his sixth game-winner of the 2024-25 season. It was a situation Zibanejad and Kreider have discovered themselves in lots of occasions earlier than, and the 2 noticed it by way of flawlessly.
“You’ll be able to hear him,” Zibanejad stated when requested when he noticed Kreider was with him. “Not screaming, the best way he skates. In a state of affairs like that, I believe I used to be attempting to get a breakaway possibly two or 3 times earlier than that after which the play occurs. Simply realizing after we play collectively — we’ve performed lengthy sufficient collectively — to know that my first look is to see if he’s coming with me. And he’s. If he’s going, nobody’s going to catch him.”
Each recreation has carried weight for the reason that Rangers almost fell out of playoff rivalry earlier this season, however convention matchups like Boston — respiratory down the Lightning’s neck for the second wild card — have turn into crucial.
The Bruins didn’t register a shot on objective till 12:36 right into a scoreless, low-event first interval.
That’s as a result of for 35 minutes the Rangers dictated the tempo of play, generated offensive zone time and usually managed the sport.
It allowed their new-look prime line, which has improved recreation to recreation, to open the scoring simply over six minutes into the center body.
J.T. Miller ushered the puck into the Bruins zone at full velocity earlier than lining up Boston defenseman Brandon Carlo into the tip boards.
The puck bounced out to Zibanejad, who discovered Artemi Panarin for a one-timer and the 1-0 lead.
Boston discovered its push, nonetheless, later within the second interval.
After Okay’Andre Miller blocked Pastrnak’s first shot, the Bruins ahead recovered the puck and whipped it previous Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin to tie it up 1-1.
A mere 16 seconds later, Elias Lindholm flung one from the highest of the best circle and it deflected off Adam Fox’s skate and in to provide the guests their first lead of the evening.
Vincent Trocheck then obtained a stick on a Miller shot from the highest of the zone just below five-and-a-half minutes into the third to even the rating for a second time.
“I appreciated the resiliency within the third interval the final two video games,” head coach Peter Laviolette stated, referencing the Rangers’ three-goal closing body within the win over the Golden Knights on Sunday. “Particularly [Wednesday night], clearly the opponent, the standings — that every one factored into it. We simply misplaced of their constructing, so to come back again and preserve them from getting factors and grabbing the 2 and shifting on, I believed the third interval was large.”