For a brief moment on Saturday following his hat trick in the New York Rangers’ 7-3 victory over the Arizona Coyotes, Chris Kreider led the NHL in goals scored all on his own with 29 until Washington Capitals superstar Alex Ovechkin tied him up.
His previous career-high came three years ago when he posted 28 goals in 79 games during the 2018-19 campaign. The 30-year-old’s 27th, 28th, and 29th goals on Saturday came in just his 42nd game of the 2021-22 season.
That’s how good things are going for the veteran left-winger.
On a team that’s stuffed to the gills with high-end skill, Kreider’s game isn’t the flashiest and it’s about as subtle as a garbage truck. He blends his speed and strength to quickly get to advantageous areas near the net before cleaning up any messes — and considering how aggressive the Rangers’ offense is, there are plenty of loose pucks to pounce on.
All three of Kreider’s goals on Saturday were of that manner. He one-timed a short-handed goal from a cross-crease pass from defenseman Jacob Trouba to pull the Rangers within a goal of the Coyotes midway through the second. With 1:18 to go, he pounced on an attempted pass from Mika Zibanejad to Artemi Panarin that was broken up and one-timed it just beneath the crossbar.
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Midway through the third period with the game in hand, Kreider found a rebound off an Adam Fox shot, weaved to the backhand, and had his hat trick.
“Guys are just getting the pucks to the net when I’m there, really,” Kreider modestly explained of his goal-scoring prowess. “My job — I’ve said it so many times — it’s simple. We joke that I should probably have a few more. I’ve missed a bunch of those where it’s been tap-ins.”
Kreider now has 10 goals in his last nine games and 12 over his previous 13, which helped fuel his All-Star Game candidacy. But you won’t see him taking the credit.
“Just get there and present myself. So many good guys up and down our lineup who can create, manipulate passing lanes,” he said. “Guys create enough space to make those plays. I play with some of the best players in the world.”
He’s one of the main reasons why the Rangers are sitting atop the Metropolitan Division with 58 points over their first 42 games.
“We want to make the playoffs. That’s the only goal,” Kreider said. “From a personal standpoint, scoring goals helps our team win. So if I can keep doing that and helping our team win, that’s all that matters. We just want to make the playoffs.”
