Kreider gets first NHL goal, a biggie
Chris Kreider #20 of the New York Rangers skates with the puck while being defended by Sergei Gonchar #55 of the Ottawa Senators. (April 23, 2012) Credit: Getty Images
OTTAWA -- Chris Kreider's first NHL goal will always be memorable for him, as first goals tend to be.
But it also might be one that lives on in Rangers lore.
Kreider snapped home a pretty feed from Derek Stepan with 40.3 seconds left in the second period Monday night, giving the Rangers the two-goal cushion they needed. The 3-2 final made Kreider's first goal the winner in the must-win Game 6, and he was all smiles after the game.
"I don't think it makes a difference," Kreider said of his goal standing up as the winner. "I'm just really happy we won."
On April 7, Kreider was celebrating an NCAA hockey championship and deciding when the right time would be to sign with the Rangers, who drafted him 19th overall in the 2009 NHL draft.
Carl Hagelin's three-game suspension after Game 2 dropped Kreider into the lineup -- and Brian Boyle's concussion, coupled with the Rangers' inability to score goals of late, placed him in a more prominent role Monday night.
"It's like a cornered dog, I guess," he said, describing the pressure to learn on the fly. "Everything's a learning experience at this point."
He skated most often with Stepan and Ryan Callahan, getting 10:46 of ice time. His most important shift was that last one in the third, when he hopped over the boards and drove the slot to pick up Stepan's pass.
"I think I fumbled it a little before I got the shot off," he said. Craig Anderson got a piece of Kreider's wrist shot, but not enough. "I thought maybe I held on to it a little too long,'' he said. "I need to get that off quicker."
It was quick enough to extend the Rangers' lead.
"He's got a rifle of a shot," Ryan McDonagh said. "He's had to learn really quick here, and it's exciting to see him step up in a big spot like that."
Kreider's fifth game will be an even bigger spot: Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, with a chance to keep his remarkable season of hockey going. Now he has a pretty special souvenir from Game 6.
"I think I'll look back at this and be extremely happy and able to smile about it," said Kreider, who turns 21 Monday. "Most important, though, is that we came out with a win."
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